


Follow You Down

by caitastrophe8499



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Inspired by Alice in Wonderland
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-10-31 23:18:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17858918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitastrophe8499/pseuds/caitastrophe8499
Summary: AU of SyFy's Alice. If you haven't watched it, don't until you're done reading this.Damien Darhk succeeded. Tevat Noah is real. Those lucky few who had been chosen live Below, and those unlucky enough to have survived with no way out live Above. Sara lives in the remains of Star City, searching for any hope that Laurel might still be alive. When her (kinda) boyfriend, Rip Hunter, is abducted Below, Sara goes to rescue him, where she's forced to team up with Leonard Snart, a glorified drug dealer.But then again, nothing is ever as it seems.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another movie AU, yay!
> 
> Seriously, if you haven't seen this miniseries, I can't recommend it enough. Andrew Lee Potts (<3), Tim Curry (<3), Kathy Bates, Matt Frewer, and Caterina Scorsone. I love it so much.
> 
> But don't watch it until this is done, or it'll reveal some awesome twists.
> 
> Enjoy!

Spinning, the young blonde threw her opponent over her hip, causing his air to blow out in a huff. She followed it through, pressing her knee into his sternum, keeping him from inhaling. The gentleman below tried to dislodge her, but the woman parried the blows deftly, until his eyes started to roll back and he tapped the ground reluctantly.

Getting up, the blonde shook her hair out of her eyes, extending a hand down to the man on the mat. Her opponent reached up to her with a faint smile, his shirt soaked with perspiration from their demonstration. The grey eyes hemmed in with crows feet didn’t diminish the lithe form and she smiled up at him as he rose to his full height.

“Well done, Sara,” he said quietly, the English accent still out of place in the remains of Star City.

Sara smirked, “And well done on your excellent falling, Rip.”

That drew a laugh out of him, and he squeezed her hand gently. Dropping it, Sara turned to her audience.

“And that’s how it’s done,” she said.

A cluster of younger men and women around her immediately raised their hands, and she grabbed a water bottle, fielding the technical questions left and right. The abandoned warehouse at sunset isn’t exactly where she wanted to host a self-defense class, but in a post-nuclear world, Sara took what she could get.

Damien Darhk’s plan to blow up the rest of the world and retreat to his underground utopia hadn’t gone off as well as he’d hoped, though still far worse than Sara had prayed for. She didn’t understand a lot of it, but she knew that when the bomb struck outside of Star City, the shock wave had taken out most of the residential buildings, and there had been a lot of serious injuries, in addition to fatalities. She wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or not that radiation burns were rare, only because most of those close enough to receive them died in the collapse of the city. Star City had received the worst of it, though there had been several other attacks throughout the country, making any outside aid impossible.

Sara had been just outside of the city when the blast hit, and saw the mushroom cloud. Firestorms had been common in those first few days, and kept Sara from entering the city. But once those had died out, she’d gone in, desperate to find Laurel.

Radiation poisoning had been a thought, but those who had survived the initial blast were showing no signs of illnesses, even weeks later when Sara had finally found some people.

Now, a year later, she had made a life for herself in the remains of her city, still searching.

Laurel had been in the city center, she’d discovered that much. But nothing since then. Her father had been in Central City, visiting Donna, and as far as Sara knew, he’d survived. Central City had diverted the bomb sent to them, and were suffering cosmetic damage to the city mostly. But, with the country recovering - no cell phones, no transportation, no real law enforcement - Star City had been on its own, people doing whatever they could to survive.

Still, Sara continued to hold out hope and search. That’s how she’d found Rip in the first place.

“Ready?” Rip asked.

Sara refocused, noticing that her class had packed up their few belongings and now waited in various locations of the building. Sara approached the window, eyeing the street for any signs of movement, sending them out into the twilight one by one as she deemed it safe.

Though Darhk had taken his groups below ground, usually just called Below, it didn’t mean they stayed there. Groups known as Collectors came above to take people back there. Sara didn’t know why, but she was determined never to be caught. She wouldn’t be a captive, not again.

Soon, the only two left were Sara and Rip, and they didn’t exit through any of the methods her students had. Instead, they climbed to the roof, and walked along the boards she’d placed there for just such a reason. The Collectors had been underground long enough to forget to look up.

Rip waited until they were a few buildings away to start speaking.

“Do you ever think about leaving Star City?”

Sara kept her eyes on the board, not bothered by the height that much, but also having a healthy respect for gravity. “Not particularly.”

“Why not?”

Having reached the building, she glanced back at him, her hackles up. She knew where this conversation was heading and never enjoyed the fallout. “I won’t leave until I know what happened to Laurel.”

“Then why don’t you-”

“Are we really going to do this again?” Sara interrupted, turning away from him.

“Sara-”

“I’m not going Below.”

“The answers you seek may be down there,” Rip said, his tone taking the vaguely castigating edge it usually did during this conversation.

“The only thing that’s down there is death and disappointment.”

“I think you could affect great change. You’re wasting away up here, falling apart just like these buildings. Don’t you want to do something more?” he asked.

“I’m surviving. That’s enough for more people.”

“But you are not most people,” Rip insisted, his voice echoing.

“Drop it, Rip. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Is it fear that keeps you here? Where you can’t face the truth?”

Sara ignored him, turning away.

“Or just cowardice?”

“Shut up!” Sara shouted, spinning on him.

Rip stopped. His eyes dropped for a moment, then lifted. “I’m going Below, Sara. I want you to come with me.”

“...what?”

“You heard me.”

“That’s suicide. You can’t.”

Though she’d only known Rip a month, he was the closest thing she’d had to a friend since the bombs fell. Sometimes she’d even thought he wanted more than friendship, but now he was just leaving? And asking her to go with him?

“I am. And I want you to come with me.” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal box. He opened it with a secret catch on the side to reveal a necklace, with a rose gold bar that hung from the chain. He handed it to her.

Sara looked down at the delicate piece of jewelry. “What is this?”

“Less than you deserve,” he said quietly.

Sara stared at him, the grey eyes were unrelenting. He wasn’t going to change his mind. “No,” she said, handing the necklace back to him. “No, I can’t take this and I can’t go with you. I’m sorry.”

He sighed, his shoulders drooping the same way when he’d talked about his wife and son who’d perished in the blast. “I understand.”

They stood in silence. Then Rip pushed his shoulders back. “Well. Nothing much more to say, is there? I’m leaving tomorrow. If you change your mind, or just want to see me off, meet me at the Gap tomorrow at dusk.”

Sara knew it - the Gap was the only well-known and less protected entrances to Below. The other was the Door, but no one got in there without being seen. The Gap was ground zero, and a fairly large area to cover. There were gashes in all the sewers and pipelines, most of which connected to the underground tunnel system that led to the Below, but in confusing and convoluted ways that couldn’t be monitored as easily. Darhk had been improving his security, so they were running out of time to use that entrance.

“Rip…”

He walked over to her, putting one hand on her chin and lifting her face towards his. Very briefly, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Sara didn’t respond and he pulled away after less than a breath. “I understand. No hard feelings. Until tomorrow, then?” he said, partly a question, his hands running down her arm to her wrists.

Sara nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Rip forced a tight smile, out of place on his countenance, then left the roof to wherever he went at night, leaving Sara alone.

Again.

* * *

Sara stretched, the mid-afternoon sun creeping into her bedroom despite the curtains she’d stolen and hung up. Glaring at the light, she rolled over, squeezing her eyes shut in a futile attempt to get more sleep. Her days and nights were slightly skewed - getting up in the late afternoon and going to bed just before dawn. Dark was easier. Safer.

The twin mattress was up against the wall, her clothes hanging off of an exposed piece of rebar. The weapons she’d had and accumulated since arriving in Star City were neatly piled up by her bed and door. The penthouse suite would have been nice, had it not been almost entirely demolished. As it was, it was centrally located without being in the Collectors’ usual routes, and gave Sara a bird’s eye view of the city. And it reminded her of her old bell tower.

Giving up on more sleep, Sara rose, her eyes darting over her surroundings routinely. The door was still shut, the chair and vase against it her alarm system. Pulling on her jeans and a white sweater, to ward off the chill of the evening, she zipped up her boots and disassembled her alarm system, knives in her boots and at her waist as she stepped into the living room.

An ash colored couch was shoved against the wall, facing a television that didn’t work any longer. The windows were covered with black plastic, except for a few shadowed corners so she could keep an eye out. Though she could handle just about anything that came her way, Sara wasn’t about to extend an invitation. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, Sara walked into the tiled kitchen.

The oven was almost useless, but the gas lines still worked as of yesterday. Sara heated up some soup in a bent pan over the burners, her eyes constantly turning to the windows instead of the soup, and subsequently ending up with alternatively scalding and freezing bites of soup.

The sun kept getting lower and lower, until Sara knew she had to move if she wanted to see Rip off. She wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to do that though.

Sighing and rubbing her eyes with frustration, she grabbed her jacket to swing on over her shoulders and a box slipped out of the pocket.

Placing the jacket off to the side, Sara knelt and retrieved the item, anger growing beneath her skin as she recognized the box containing the necklace Rip had tried to give her the night before.

“Bastard,” she muttered, shoving it into her pocket. Now she had to go see him, if only to make sure she owed him nothing.

She undid the locks on the door, then stepped out carefully, so as not to dislodge the heavy pieces she’d moved in front of the door, weaving her way through the disguised collapse.

The streets were empty and quiet, but Sara had been getting used to that. Most people had abandoned the city, and she couldn’t blame them. The only people who stayed were ones who didn’t have anywhere else to go, or were too afraid to leave.

Sara was a mix of both.

The Gap was where the old mayoral offices used to be, and Sara knew the route well. She walked the streets there, half of her attention on the walk and the other half engaged in what she might say to Rip.

She cared for him, obviously. They were close. Maybe it was romantic... ? But it felt different than it had with Nyssa. Maybe it was a more adult romance? Based less on adrenaline and danger, and more on common interests and security. Rip was a good guy, that was certain, and though Sara felt something was lacking, maybe it was a problem with her, rather than him. She felt no desire to commit to him, not her full name, not her address, not her help in this insane mission that served no apparent purpose other than getting him killed. That didn’t mean she wanted him to leave, though.

Despite paying attention, Sara still had to drop back suddenly when she heard voices coming from in front of her. People didn’t shout like that above ground. The only people who had such little care for their safety were the -

“You shouldn’t have come out of hiding, Mr. Hunter.”

Sara held her breath, the short glance enough to confirm that at least ten Collectors had surrounded Rip as he stood in front of the Gap. She edged back, staring through a shattered window at the scene.

“You have something that belongs to us,” a man in front of Rip said. His blonde hair was swept back, the long, thin line of his mouth completely unforgiving and twisted into a cruel smile as he stared down at Rip. He would’ve looked like a father figure, with the pasty cheeks and receding hairline, if it weren’t for the unfathomable hatred in his pale blue eyes.

The yellow suit was memorable to Sara, who’d barely escaped with her life on several memorable occasions from him. She’d never learned his name, but she knew he was fast. Inhumanly fast. Her fingers found the box in her pocket, relief that she hadn’t dropped it making her take it out and undo the secret catch, putting the necklace around her neck.

“I’ve got nothing for you,” Rip spat at the yellow man’s feet.

“Oh really? Let’s see what Darhk has to say about that,” the yellow man said. He nodded to the other men around him, nondescript henchmen in black tactical gear. “Take him Below.”

They grabbed Rip’s arms and hauled him Below. Sara saw he was resisting, but they both knew he was outnumbered. His eyes darted around the Gap, as if expecting to see her, but passed over her hiding spot without finding her.

Sara watched them vanish Below and, against all of her better judgments, followed silently behind them.

* * *

The Gap was a confusing amalgamation of tunnels and subterranean architecture. Subway lines and old buildings combined with natural caverns and unnatural scars in the landscape due to the bomb to create a web-like map of dead ends, dangerous drops, and underwater rivers that careened throughout the Below. Sara had come here early on, trying to find a way in, but the trails were too dangerous to traverse alone. She risked getting lost and starving, an injury, or never finding her way out. She couldn’t take that chance.

Now, however, here she was.

She stayed back as far as she could without losing sight of Rip and the yellow man. Their scouts went on ahead and one trailed behind, but Sara was an expert at walking silently. Still, she nearly lost them a couple of times and had to backtrack quickly to catch up or risk being lost forever. They proceeded downwards in a fairly consistent manner, the fresh air becoming stale and still, the natural light of the sunset now just a memory. The Collectors carried lamps to guide their steps, and Sara had to hope there were no sudden drops.

They stopped in a small cavern, and Sara stayed back, out of sight. She couldn’t hear anything from within; her quick glance as they began settling down revealed the cavern had one other passage connecting to it, and an underground river that ran along the left side of it, disappearing beneath the wall across from her (she’d long since lost track of directions, other than up and down). She leaned against the wall, not wanting to risk sitting and having her legs cramp up. Her internal clock told her it was nearing midnight. She closed her eyes briefly, rubbing her temples and trying not to think about how hungry she was.

After a few minutes, she heard louder noises in the cavern beyond, but couldn’t make out the words. She waited until they died down a bit, then glanced in quickly. The group was standing, getting ready to move again. Sara pushed herself away from the wall and waited until it was quiet, then edged into the cavern.

She couldn’t hear anything, the rush of the river to her left drowning out the footsteps of her quarry. Sara headed towards the next entrance, hugging the river to stay out of sight until the last moment.

“Hello.”

Sara flinched and turned, her hand going to her waist as the yellow suited man appeared to her side, out of nowhere, and a faint buzzing she hadn’t noticed before was now absent.

The rest of the Collectors came out from the corner, Rip’s mouth gagged and his eyes maelstroms above the fabric.

“Who are you?” the man asked, taking another step closer.

“Sara,” she said, keeping the knife put away for the moment.

“I’m almost impressed, Sara. You followed us for hours without us catching on.” His eyes darted towards a man in the group who blanched. “I’ll have to remedy that.” He looked back at her. “Why are you following us?”

She glanced at Rip, answering in her silence.

The man chuckled. “Oh, Mr. Hunter, always making friends, aren’t we? What’s so special about this one?”

Rip glared at him, and Sara saw the men holding him tense to keep him still.

The yellow man looked back at Sara. “You’re so predictable, Mr. Hunter. Giving it to her. Hand it over, girl.” He raised his hand and the men not holding Rip started forward.

Sara glanced toward the way she came, but the yellow man spoke softly. “You’ll never make it.”

Sara edged back again, her heel on the edge of the river. She looked down and behind her. The yellow man laughed.

“You wouldn’t dare take the chance.”

Rip nodded once, the gag keeping his movement from being noticed.

Sara glared at him for putting her in this position, then glanced at the yellow man. “Who are you, anyway?”

“I am Eobard Thawne. You’ll come to know me very well.”

Sara forced a grin. “Doubtful.”

With a sudden movement, she threw the box at Eobard, whose incredible speed was put on display as he shimmered and vanished, before reappearing with it in his hand.

But Sara had already let herself fall back into the water, and vanished into the caverns beyond.


	2. Chapter 2

Water lapped at Sara’s cheek, consciousness coming back slowly, but the chill of her wet clothes and frozen skin hitting her quickly and without mercy. She forced herself onto her hands and knees, pulling her legs out of the water and dragging herself forward. She fell, turning to land on her back as she coughed up water, grateful she hadn’t drowned, but wondering what fresh hell awaited her here.

“You ain’t fish.”

Sara would’ve jumped up to her feet if she had the energy, as it was she scrambled up to a crouching position, reaching for the knives at her belt and finding they’d been washed away. The ones in her boots were still there - she could feel the sheaths against her legs - but they weren’t as accessible. Besides, she was distracted.

Not because of the large, scarred and scowling man glaring down at her, though he was a close second.

It was nighttime - she could see the stars.

She stared up, the sky looking familiar, but...wrong somehow. She twisted, staring up and suddenly it flickered slightly, a shimmer of a screen.

“What the hell is this?” she whispered, forgetting her audience for a moment.

“Tevat Noah,” the man in front of her said, his words grating against his chest before leaving his mouth, slow and ponderous. “You’re Below.”

“But...stars,” Sara said, getting to her feet carefully. Subtly, she checked that the chain was still fastened around her neck.

“Some kind of high-tech bullshit to get everyone to forget they’re buried alive. You wanna tell me what you’re doing in the pond?”

Sara looked at the man again, seeing the burns that covered his hands and extended beneath the rolled up sleeves of his forearms. He was large, head and shoulders taller than her and built like a brick house. The boots were steel-toed and well-worn, and despite the off-putting expression on his face, Sara found herself at ease with him. Kindred spirits, or something.

“I was…” Any excuse would sound like just that, so she went for the truth. “I was tracking a guy who was kidnapped and taken down here. They saw me, so I jumped into the river to get away. I need to find him. Please”

His arms crossed over the burly chest and his eyebrow rose slightly. “You outran the Collectors? Makes you trouble for law-abiding folk.”

Sara kept her mouth shut, almost close to begging, but wanting to make sure it was worth it.

“Good thing I ain’t law-abiding.” Though he didn’t smile, he seemed more comfortable. “What’ve you got?”

“Nothing of value.”

He shrugged, “Eh, you pissed off the Collectors. That might be enough. Come on.”

He turned and walked off, following a path next to the pond. She noticed a faint glow coming from her right. It looked like a nice gentrified area of town, and beneath a star-studded sky, it certainly seemed like paradise.

“What’s that?”

“Fancy-town. Suburban paradise. Darhk’s handpicked animals that walked two-by-two into the grave.”

“You weren’t one of them?”

“I ain’t exactly the hand-picking type.”

“So who are you?” she asked, finally walking beside him.

“Mick. Me and the boss found our way down here after the bombings and set up shop. Making ourselves a nice little profit.”

“What do you sell?”

Mick looked down at her and finally smiled, a thin, bitter expression. “A way out.”

He led her around several large, imposing buildings that spanned the equivalent of ten city blocks or so, before taking a quick left. Here, Sara could really see the difference between the digital sky and the real world - a rent in the fabric that projected the starry sky.

Millions of questions pressed at Sara’s lips, but she kept silent as Mick led her into the tear and almost immediately into a building behind it. It had the same industrial architecture as the buildings they’d just passed, though it was slightly older, more run down.

As Mick pushed open the doors, music came pouring out, deep bass, thrumming beneath Sara’s skin. Almost a club, if it weren’t for the terrible outer facade. Mick hesitated, then shut the door before entering.

“Look, Boss don’t care too much for new people, so give me two minutes to talk him down, then follow me in. Come straight on back, last door at the very end. Don’t go into any other doors. Got it?”

“What’s in there?” Sara asked.

Before she could get a clear answer out of him, Mick vanished, the music swelling and vanishing again behind the door.

Sara waited about thirty seconds before following him inside.

Despite the outside decor, the inside was comfortably modern without feeling sterile. Bright lights and dark granite countertops lined the bar at the back, bulbs hanging in metal cages above the dance floor. Though there wasn’t much dancing, Sara still saw a line of people at the bar. But almost no one was coming away from it with drinks.

Sara edged towards the bar, looking at menu that hung behind the bartender’s head.

**Forget**

**Remember**

**Feel**

**Ignore**

**Relax**

**Energize**

**Love**

**Hate**

Sara listened as a man at the front of the line stepped up, his tongue sweeping behind his teeth repeatedly.

“I wanna Ignore,” he said, sliding a card across the table.

The bartender took the card and passed a small dish across the bartop, powder sitting in the center, covered by a glass that was upside down.

Sara watched the man take the plate and go to a nearby booth, lifting the glass and-

She looked away, a frown starting on her face. This was a drug dealer’s place. A high end one, but this place sold drugs. What the hell was Mick in on?

Alongside the right side of the bar was a long hallway, with doors lining nearly every inch. Lights were above each door, most of them red, but a few green. Sara glanced into one of the green lit rooms. A bed lined the back of the room, a dresser covered with various...implements. She blushed and continued on, keeping her eyes forward.

The door at the end was cracked open. Sara edged up to it, taking a moment to move one her knives to her waist, just in case. Then she pushed the door open.

If the outside was comfortable modernism, this was modern classical. The paneled walls and dark wooden floor sent her right into the old police station’s offices, complete with the smell of polish and metal. There were no windows, but beautiful paintings hung on the walls, brightening up the space with color and vibrancy. A heavy wooden desk covered with neat stacks of papers backed up to a hutch filled with decanters of high end alcohol and crystal glasses. The leather chair was turned away from her. She edged up next to Mick, standing in the center of the room, unsure what she’d gotten herself into, but determined to see it through.

“Would you like a drink?”

The man’s voice came from the chair, smooth and cultured, though it had Mick’s same ponderous method of speaking, as if every syllable had to be turned over in this man’s mouth before escaping into the air. It was histrionic to the extreme, but Sara didn’t feel like laughing.

“Who are you?” she asked, keeping her voice steady.

“A friend, I hope.”

He spun around, a glass in his hand and arched a brow at her. Sara’s breath caught slightly, but she wrote it off as just being unexpected. For a drug dealer, she didn’t expect him to look so...good.

The dark colors of his sweater accentuated his lighter skin, the salt and pepper hair not making him look old so much as distinguished. His long fingers were wrapped around the glass casually, but from the way he sat, she knew he had some kind of weapon at his waist - a large knife or gun. But most unnerving were his eyes - sharp and bright, the blue seemed to look straight through her.

“I run the shop,” he added, when she didn’t say anything. He drained the glass and put it down before rising to his feet, the height another surprise. He wasn’t as tall as Mick, but he was close, and Sara didn’t relish the idea of having to look up at him. She’d been right, a gun hung at his thigh. Walking around the bar, he leaned against it and crossed his arms. “How did you get all the way Below?”

“I was following a group of Collectors. They noticed me a few hours in and I jumped into a river to escape them,” Sara said, knowing it would be pointless to lie, as she’d already told Mick the truth. She tugged at the neck of her sweater. “As you can see, I’m drenched.”

His eyes tracked down and then back up in a way that said he was very much aware she was soaking wet and in a white sweater. “Desperate move.”

“Didn’t like the look of Thawne,” she retorted, annoyed and short with him. She thought she heard a smothered snort from Mick.

The man smiled faintly, and Sara couldn’t tell if it was anger or amusement she felt at his expression. “Fair.” He pushed off the desk and took a step towards her. “Mick tells me you’re looking for someone.”

“His name is Rip Hunter. He was taken by Thawne and his men.”

The man started walking around her as she spoke. Sara resisted the urge to spin as he walked behind her, her nerves on edge.

“The Collectors,” he said, coming to stand in front of her, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his eyes, to her annoyance, “serve Darhk. They travel up and down, bringing back people to use in the mines, factories, and the casino.”

“Use?” Sara echoed.

“Did I say ‘use’? Slip of the tongue,” he said, waving his hand and keeping his eyes on her, as if daring her to argue. “They’re fine. Kept alive and...moderately happy. Big man, your Rip? Good looking?”

Sara didn’t like the way he said ‘your Rip’. “He’s tall, but thin. Handsome. Thawne said Darhk would want to talk to him.”

The man smiled in that unfriendly way again. “Sounds like your Rip is trouble. Man like that would go to the casino. It’s where Darhk spends most of his time and where the most attractive catches end up working.”

“How do I get into the casino?”

“That’s the thing,” he said, finally stepping far enough away that Sara could breathe easily again. “You don’t. Way too dangerous.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he raised his hand.

“However, I know some people, who know some other people. One of the benefits of running a shop.” His mouth popped slightly on the ‘p’ and Sara couldn’t help her flinch.

“Relax,” he drawled. Walking behind his desk, he opened a door next to the hutch and pulled out a dark jacket. “Here. Wear this. Cover the white and keep you from catching a cold.”

Sara hesitated. “I don’t have any money.”

This smile was almost gentle. “Money’s useless here.”

She took it, but didn’t pull it on yet. “Then why would you help me?”

The smile twisted into a smirk that she for some reason liked a little better. “Do I need a reason to help a pretty girl in a very wet sweater?”

She glared at him and he nearly laughed.

“I see. You don’t trust me. I’m hurt,” he said sarcastically, pressing a hand to his heart, as if he had one. “Do you know why they call me Captain?”

“Because you can get druggies to call you anything when they’re high?” Sara said, arching her brow. She definitely heard Mick snort that time.

“No,” he answered. “Because I’m a leader down here. I find out what people need, even if they don’t know themselves, and I get it for them. Philanthropy, if you will.”

“I won’t,” she interrupted, but he continued as if she hadn’t spoken.

“It’s who I am. And right now, looking at you, there’s nothing I want more than to help you find…”

“Rip.”

“-Rip, and return you both to your happily ever after Above.”

Sara stared at him. “I don’t believe you.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, though that was doubtful. “If I’m the frying pan, then that,” he pointed towards the door, “out there is the fire. I’ll be straight with you. I know people who like to help your kind. And if, every once in a while I scratch their back…?”

“They’ll scratch yours,” Sara finished.

“Lots of scratching,” he agreed.

Sara deliberated for a moment, but it wasn’t like she had an option. She had to find Rip. She had to get out, and she knew nothing about Below. With a sigh, she pulled on the jacket he’d given her. It was a little too big, and the dark blue fabric was room temperature, but she was happy for anything.

The man smiled, pulling on another dark jacket and glancing at Mick. “You’ve got the shop. Don’t burn it down.”

“No promises, Boss.” Mick looked at her. “Good luck.”

She smiled tightly at Mick, then followed the Captain to another door.

He stopped, his hand on the handle and looked down at her. “What’s your name?”

Having expected him to keep moving, Sara found herself close to him. His cologne was spicy, metallic, and something dangerous. She met his eyes briefly. “Sara.”

“Leonard. Alright, Sara.” He pushed the door open, revealing a narrow passageway that seemed to lead away from the front door of the shop. “Try to keep up.”

* * *

A young woman teetered in the casino, the high heels and short skirt not what she was used to Above. There was no call for it, when all they cared about was survival. But down here, the glitz and the glitter of money and supremacy made a trivial thing like survival a distant memory.

Music pumped through speakers, voices chatting casually as women walked back and forth in the same outfits she wore, or in fancy gowns. Smoke swirled above, the tang of expensive cigars clinging to her skin. Every table was full, everyone at them was smiling, and they ignored the girls working unless they wanted something.

Syn had been brought Below a few days ago and had been fed and cleaned up, which wasn’t what she was expecting. Then, they ran her through some sort of orientation on how to serve and mix drinks. Suddenly, she’d been shoved out here, on the main floor of a flourishing and popular casino, serving drinks to people who didn’t pay, being catcalled and groped nearly every minute.

She hid in the bathroom during her break, the tray clutched to her chest as she tried to physically keep herself from falling apart. She breathed in slowly, but she heard how the air was tight and shuddering and knew her tears were only seconds away.

A faint knock came from outside the doors. “Hey, you okay?”

Syn recognized the heels and tights of another server and unlocked the door, wiping her eyes. “I’m fine.”

The woman was several years older than her, but beautiful, with dark blonde hair that tumbled over her shoulders, and a friendly, open expression. “You aren’t fine.” She put her tray down on the ground and gave Syn her full attention.

“I just want to go home,” Syn said, hating herself as tears began to form.

“I know,” the older woman said, taking the tray out of her hands and hugging her tightly. “But none of us can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Sidenote, hopefully will be updating this relatively quickly because 1) finished my degree, so that Master's #2 down and 2) I have another idea that I'm anxious to start writing, but I want to finish this one first, so yay, motivation!
> 
> Seriously, though. Past few weeks have been pretty shitty, and reading your kind and thoughtful reviews and incoherent rambling make it so much better. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

The narrow bridge wasn’t the route Leonard would have preferred to get to his destination, but it more more off the beaten path than his usual way. As this girl - Sara - had already upset the Collectors, he didn’t want to flaunt his association with her in front of everyone, most least in front of Darhk’s drones.

Strolling across the bridge, he was halfway across before he looked back and saw that Sara had yet to begin. She was staring at the water, her full lips now a thin, white line.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, exasperation coloring his voice. His arms were crossed and his eyes narrowed as she continued to stare at the water.

“I’ve got a thing about water,” she shot back, swallowing visibly. “Didn’t know we were in Venice.”

He watched as she forced herself to take a step, but he could see the way her hands shook. Talk about baggage. Still, he had to admit he was impressed with her stubbornness.

He moved before he really thought about it, walking back and extending his hand to her.

She finally looked up at that, her frown creating narrow lines between her eyes. She didn’t take his hand.

“I’m not going to throw you in,” he said. “Come on.”

She took his hand, and he guided her up the bridge. Her foot knocked a rock down into the water and she followed its path, her eyes focusing on the rapids below again.

“Look at me,” Leonard ordered, but she didn’t. “Sara,” he said, a little gentler. She forced her eyes back up to his. “Try not to think about it, okay?”

“Easier said than done,” Sara hissed, her cheeks pale.

“So’s everything.” He smirked, and was looking forward to her sarcastic comment. However, they had made it over the bridge, to her obvious surprise.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. She dropped his hand, and Leonard resisted the urge to rub his palm along his jeans as he turned away from her and continued on.

He didn’t respond, walking deeper into the tunnels they’d been traversing for several hours. Sara had stumbled more than once, and he wondered, not for the first time, how long it had been since she’d had a meal and some sleep.

Despite having lived Below almost since the bombs fell, Leonard was aware of the state of things on the surface. He knew that most people Above had to fight and scramble to survive, which told him a hell of a lot about what kind of person Sara was.

Not that knives at her boot and belt didn’t say quite a bit, too.

Either way, he knew that if he tried to make her slow down, she’d ignore him. The only way to keep her from collapsing, was to keep her driven. So he kept up the pace.

He led them unerringly through multiple weblike tunnels, never stopping to consult a map and consider his direction, he did it all easily. It had taken several weeks of intense studying, but he now knew almost every inch of the Below. Lights were setup along each branch, probably left over from when Darhk had built the place. Some were better lit than others, but he was able to see clearly enough. When the lights were nonexistent, Leonard pulled a flashlight out of his pocket, but it happened only twice.

He led them out of a narrow tunnel that nearly brushed their shoulders on both sides and revealed the outside of Tevat Noah again, the tent-like screen in front of them, but a low, squat building in front of them first.

Leonard knocked on the door twice, waited a moment, once, another moment, then twice again.

“What is this place?” Sara asked.

Leonard spoke over his shoulder, not turning to face her. “A place for refugees. Those that escape the Collectors or got lost Below. Some others who’ve tired of instant gratification. We shelter and feed them here, but it’s dangerous. If Darhk found it, he’d decimate it.”

“Why?”

“These people would speak up. Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.”

“Da Vinci.”

Leonard glanced back at her, not expecting her to catch that reference. She looked back at him, her brow arched. His smile was unintentional.

He heard the door unlock and a set of eyes peered out as he turned around.

“Snart? We weren’t expecting you this week.”

“Unexpected business came up,” Leonard answered, gesturing behind him. He heard the girl step out from behind him.

“Oh my god, Sara?!”

* * *

 

“And how is everyone today?”

Damien Darhk looked around the room, his Collectors clothed in functional black tactical outfits, the pit bosses of his casino in dark suits, and the security officers in black uniforms. He loved black.

“Doing well, Mr. Darhk,” Thawne answered.

Darhk nodded, his black suit unforgiving and serious. The leather gloves he wore warded off the perpetual chill of being underground, and his pale skin had only gotten paler with the false sunlight. It gave off enough to keep them from falling ill, but all of their complexions had faded in the past year. Darhk turned to his other second in command.

Malcolm Merlyn, an attractive man with dark hair and darker ambitions, dressed in dark robes common among the League of Assassins, and stood at the front of the security forces. “All’s quiet. No more...disturbances.”

“Wonderful,” Darhk said. His ran a hand over his pale hair, making sure every strand was in place. Though he hadn’t anticipated needing quite so many to help run things, he had to admit that Thawne and Merlyn were welcome additions. Some others had proven too argumentative or too ambitious, but he was working on that. “You’re all so clever and productive. What news is there?”

“We’ve found the codes.”

A unfamiliar surge of happiness swept through Darhk at that sentence. He looked Eobard, holding out his hand for the metal box. “Fantastic.”

Thawne dropped the box into his palm and stepped back as Darhk fiddled with the catch and opened the box. “With this, we can operate without fear, the resistance will crumble, and we will eventually continue in your original vision.”

Darhk stared at the open box. “What an amusing practical joke.”

“Sir?” Thawne said cautiously.

Darhk held the empty box up for Thawne to look at. “Why am I not surprised?”

“The girl,” Thawne hissed. “She had the box, she must have opened it.”

“What girl?” Darhk said, dropping the box on the ground.

“A girl was tracking us, and we took the box off of her. She must have the codes.”

“Wonderful,” Darhk said, rubbing his eyes. “Well, where is she?”

Thawne shifted uncomfortably. “She...she escaped.”

“What do you mean, ‘escaped’?”

“We came in through the Gap, and she jumped into the river. We haven’t finished mapping that out yet, but had it planned-”

“You mean to tell me that some little brat is running around utopia with the one thing that could destroy us all?!” Damien shouted, his voice vibrating unnaturally against the walls.

Merlyn’s grin was self-satisfied as Thawne scrambled to explain. “We’ll find her, she has no idea what she’s doing-”

“That makes two of you. We’ll find her alright, but you, Mr. Thawne, are no longer needed.”

Thawne’s form went invisible for a moment, but Darhk held up his hand and Thawne was suddenly suspended, red magic holding him aloft, and his superspeed useless without touching anything. He scrabbled at an invisible force around his throat, his face turning colors. Damien raised his voice slightly to speak over his gasped convulsions. “Merlyn-”

“I’ll send out the officers to apprehend her,” Merlyn said, his grin fading as his eyes kept darting to where Thawne was slowly being strangled, his feet twitching in his final throes.

“No,” Darhk said. “That’ll only alert the resistance and I don’t want the populus to feel there’s any need to worry.” He thought about it, clenching his fist and listening as Thawne continued to gasp, though it was shallow and sounded wet. “No, we need someone who can work quietly behind the scenes. Someone ruthless...insane, even.”

Thawne stopped moving and Damien smiled slowly.

“Is Vandal Savage alive yet?”

* * *

Thea Queen, a waifish, pretty, and pert brunette, handed Sara a small mug of warm coffee. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Neither can I,” Sara said.

The shock had worn off within a few minutes, everyone in the former Team Arrow used to seeing people come back from the dead. Thea explained that she had been here since the beginning. Malcolm Merlyn, her estranged father, had drugged and kidnapped her Below to save her, though Thea had escaped at the first opportunity. She’d eventually managed to find this building with some other refugees from Tevat Noah, and in it-

“Oliver,” Sara said, as the man in question approached. He glanced at her briefly, his eyes tracking over to Leonard, before back to her.

Oliver Queen, too brooding and serious to begin with, had only devolved into the most taciturn, black and white opinionated, ruthless man since the bombings. She knew he’d lost people in the bombings - everyone had. But Oliver had built his entire personality around his team, and apparently after losing them...he’d lost the better parts of himself.

His tall frame was still muscular, though she was surprised to notice that Leonard was the same height, if a little more wiry. His arms had garnered more scars since she’d last seen him, but that had been quite some time ago.

“Why are you here?” Oliver asked Leonard, ignoring Sara completely.

“She’s looking for her boyfriend, Rip Haunter-”

“Hunter,” Sara corrected. “His name’s Rip Hunter.”

Oliver looked at her finally, but didn’t react.

Sara heard Leonard come nearer, “She needs help. Thought of you, Arrow.”

“Really?” Oliver said quietly. “And why would I want to help her, when you know that even bringing her here puts us all at risk?”

Sara drew back. She knew Oliver had been hurt, but this wasn’t like him. He didn’t even seem happy to see her.

“Oh, please,” Leonard said, waving his hand. “I’ve spent weeks smuggling more dangerous things than this down here.”

“You know what bothers me most about you, Snart? Your arrogance. While we risk our lives to try and bring this organization down, you swan about, living the good life,” Oliver said, leaning towards Sara and Leonard. There was emotion in his voice now, and it wasn’t happy.

“Oliver,” Sara started.

“Stop whining, Arrow,” Leonard interrupted. “You know I’m on your side.”

“I’m sure you say that to all your enemies.”

“I do what’s necessary,” Leonard snapped, irritation finally making its way through his calm. “I do what’s needed to make sure your machine stays oiled.”

“Oliver, please, Rip is in there and-”

“And why would I help you?” Oliver said, turning his glare onto Sara. “It’s been a year, Sara. And this is the first time you’ve even tried to make contact. Because you need something. I needed something when the bombs went off. Where the hell were you?”

Sara gritted her teeth, trying to remind herself that this was Oliver’s pain talking, not him.

“If you can’t help me, I’ll just leave,” Sara said, ignoring Thea’s wide eyes.

“Selfish and stubborn as always,” Oliver shot back.

“Can you help me get Rip out of the casino?” Sara stood up.

“I don’t see how.” Oliver leaned back, crossing his arms.

“The resistance has contacts inside the casino, right?” Leonard said.

Oliver merely glared at him, holding up his hand to keep Thea from speaking.

“Use them to find her guy.” When Oliver still appeared unmoved, Leonard continued. “She can pay you, but I want my usual cut upfront.”

“Pay me?” Oliver echoed. “With what?”

“Show him the necklace, Sara,” Leonard said, nudging her arm.

“What?” How had he even seen it?

“The thing around your neck.” Leonard glared at her when she didn’t move.

“No. That is off limits,” Sara hissed, grabbing it and holding it in her fist.

“That’s all you have.” Leonard reached out and Sara let go to shove him back.

“It’s not possible,” Oliver said, uncrossing his arms and stepping towards her. “Where did you get it?”

“None of your business, Queen. It’s not for sale.”

“Where did you get it?” Oliver shouted.

“What is it?” Leonard asked, his arm half raised towards Oliver, like he was keeping him at bay.

“Your traitorous new friend is wearing the kill codes to Tevat Noah,” Oliver said, a sneer on his face.

“That’s impossible,” Leonard said, looking at the necklace again.

“I’m never wrong,” Oliver countered.

“Where did you get it, Sara?” Leonard asked, facing her, but staying between her and Oliver.

“Rip gave it to me.”

“Rip?” Oliver asked.

“Rip Hunter, the guy we’re looking for,” Sara shot back.

“Well, where did he get it?” Leonard asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Give it to me,” Oliver demanded.

“No!” Sara shouted.

Oliver’s face turned cruel, “Take her out.”

Thea blanched, the gun at her side still looking strange to Sara. “Are you crazy?!”

Leonard put himself between her and Oliver, “Stop, just wait a minute-”

Oliver drew a gun from his waistband and Sara’s heart sank at the depravity in Oliver’s face. “You’re in way over your head, Snart.”

“Just give me a second to talk to her.”

“It controls everything. We can take down the entire place. You know that.” Oliver aimed it towards Sara.

“Calm down, put the gun away,” Leonard said, his hands held out towards Oliver, putting his back to Sara. “I’m sure we can all get what we want here.”

“No one’s getting this necklace,” Sara said, ignoring Leonard’s glare.

“I’ve been waiting a year for a break like this. And you come in, wearing it like some trinket,” Oliver said, stepping closer.

“Stop waving that thing around,” Leonard ordered, taking a step towards Oliver. “You’re scaring everyone.” He gestured toward Thea, but Oliver didn’t seem to notice.

“If we can shut this world down, maybe ours will go back to normal. Destroy everything down here, there’ll be no choice but to go back up.”

“Destroy?” Thea said quietly. “But, Ollie, there are people in there.”

Oliver didn’t seem to hear her. “Think about it, it’ll be just like before Felicity-”

Leonard was directly in front of him, “Stop it.” He reached up to grab the gun-

A shot rang out, piercing in the room and Sara drew back and Leonard crumpled to the ground.

“No!” she shouted, staring up at Oliver, anger pulsing through her. She hadn’t expected to react like this, but for all Leonard irritated her, he’d just saved her life and she’d barely known him at all. Guilt added a technicolor layer to her anger and she took a step towards Oliver. Former friend or not, this was going to end.

“You shot Snart,” Thea said weakly, her eyes wide.

“We don’t need him anymore,” Oliver said, advancing on Sara. “The necklace is our ticket out of here.”

Sara reached for her knives, but Oliver was almost on top of her, the gun aimed at her chest and-

A freezing blast of air hit the ceiling, and everyone went still, looking back to where Leonard now stood, his hand against his middle. “Leave her alone or, believe me, the next one will be aimed at your head.” He leveled the large gun at Oliver.

Oliver lowered his gun slightly. “Snart, this is the game changer. I’ll give you three times your price. Five. Ten! Name it and it’s yours.”

“Back off,” Leonard snarled, putting his back to Sara and edging them out of the room.

“If you let her leave with that necklace, I will have every member of the resistance hunting you down. You’ll be dead before dawn!” Oliver called, following them.

“And that’s the thanks I get?” Leonard retorted. “For keeping you fed and watered all this time?”

He gestured towards the doors, and Sara would have gone, but Oliver came barrelling through the narrow hallway, no gun in hand, and pure insanity on his face as he tackled Leonard to the floor. Sara stood by the exit, hesitating.

“Leonard!” Sara shouted, coming back towards him.

“Left door!” Leonard said, grunting as Oliver hit him. He shoved Oliver off of him, kicking him away and trying to get to his feet. He looked back, seeing Sara still standing there. “Go, Sara!”

Oliver rose up, grabbing Leonard’s jacket and spinning him around, his fist connecting with Leonard’s face and he fell backwards, his gun hitting the ground.

“Sara, get out of here!” Leonard said. He rolled, grabbing his gun and firing it towards Oliver, who dodged at the last minute. Ice appeared against the wall, crystals cracking the metal that poked through the cement walls.

“Lucky,” Leonard muttered.

With no sense of self-preservation, Oliver ran towards Leonard, hitting him hard and bringing them both to the ground.

Sara’s hand was on the door, her heart pounding. Then she cursed, shoved the necklace beneath her sweater, and ran back towards them. With a swift kick, she drove Oliver back from Leonard, grabbing his arm and rolling across him to flip him onto the ground, his air expelling out of him. As he lay stunned, Sara hauled Leonard to his feet and pulled him out of the building.

“How did you do that?” Leonard asked, a little out of breath.

“Come on!” Sara said, pulling him away.

Leonard directed her with one words answers, hugging the edge of Tevant Noah so they had enough light to see by, but keeping them off of more well-traveled paths. When they got far enough away, she stopped and lowered them both to the ground.

“Are you okay?” she asked, kneeling next to him.

Leonard tried to push her away, but she moved his jacket aside to see he was wearing-

“Bodyarmor?! You’re not even hurt?”

He nearly laughed at the irritation on her face, but visibly held it in.

Angrier now, Sara shoved him. “You lied to me!”

“I was trying to help you.”

“By selling my necklace?”

He scoffed, “I didn’t know it was the kill codes, did I?”

“Well,” she said, crossing her arms and sitting away from him, “you could’ve asked me before bringing me here.”

“You wouldn’t have come.”

“Damn right, I wouldn’t!” Sara snapped. “He almost killed me.”

“Yeah, well, he actually shot me,” Leonard reminded her, gesturing to the hole in his shirt.

Sara huffed, refusing to admit he was right, but acknowledging it to herself in silence. “Be honest. What’s up with this necklace?”

Leonard sat up, holstering his gun. “The codes in there contain all the information for running Tevat Noah, and, rumor has it, the nuclear launch codes that Darhk didn’t access the first time around.” He got to his feet, holding down his hand to her. She took it, and they started out again, side by side. “He who holds the codes can shut down the entire operation down here. Or ensure that Tevat Noah is the only habitable place left on the planet.”

Sara looked at the simple bar, seeing so much more than a pretty piece of metal.

“How did Rip get hold of it?”


	4. Chapter 4

“Where do you think you’re going?” Leonard cursed under his breath and jogged to catch up with Sara, who seemed determined to leave him behind. As he caught up, she glared at him.

“Anywhere but here,” she retorted.

“There are dangerous areas in these tunnels,” Leonard reminded her, falling into step easily. He still was interested as to how such a small woman had tossed Oliver like a piece of cardboard.

She tried to step around him, but he followed the movement, blocking her path until she threw up her hands in frustration.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, more at him than to him. “This place, and you people. This is too messed up!”

“Listen,” Leonard said, staying in front of her as she tried to step around him. “Calm down. I’m going to try and get you home, okay?”

“Really?” Sara asked, sarcasm dripping off her voice.

“What? Really,” Leonard said, stepping to the left to block her, then the right, then the left again. He grabbed her shoulders. “Could you just keep still?”

“And what’s in it for you?” Sara asked, leaning up towards him. Leonard inhaled briefly, his hands tightening without his permission, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Let me guess, you want your usual cut upfront?” She ducked under his arm and walked past him successfully this time.

“I don’t blame you for being angry,” he said, walking after her after a moment. “I acted...impetuously.”

“No,” Sara said, turning at that and pointing her finger at him. “Selfishly. You acted selfishly.”

Damn straight he did, but it got her to stop moving to yell at him. “Whatever word you want to use. Let me make it up to you.”

Part of it was that he wanted the necklace, of course he did. But...with Oliver after him, there were other options he had to consider. Having Sara on his side might prove to be problematic, but after weighing the pros and cons, it was worth it to keep her around, at least for now.

Sara ignored him, walking on, but pausing as she reached a crossroads of three tunnels. He watched her head turn between each of them, obviously lost.

Leonard walked up next to her slowly.

“This is a dangerous place,” he said, lowering his voice a bit. “Trust me, you’re going to need my help.”

Sara inhaled slowly before letting the air go. She looked up at Leonard, who watched her carefully, not entirely certain she wasn’t going to bolt again. There was still hurt and confusion in her eyes, but she was clearly making her own pro and con list, and he had to wait to see which side he fell on.

With a sigh, she gestured for him to take the lead. Leonard’s smirk was brief, and he picked the left tunnel, leading her ever onward.

* * *

Merlyn shook his head, running his hand down his mouth. “This is a disaster.”

He stood in front of what had once been Vandal Savage, reincarnated sorcerer, mythological monster, destroyer of empires. The swarthy skin still had a deathly pallor to it, his hands hung limply by his sides, and his head had a perpetual tilt, as if something was vaguely confusing to him at all times.

And his eyes…

Merlyn shuddered briefly, flinching as a knock echoed in his room. He opened it, letting Damien Darhk enter the room, the water of the Lazarus Pit glimmering off of the walls and ceiling.

“Is he ready?”

“I should prepare you,” Merlyn said, standing next to Darhk, but not too closely. “He’s not quite as he was. I mentioned that transporting the Lazarus Pit might have negative effects on anyone we tried to bring back, and…”

Savage’s head turned towards Darhk, the eyes completely white, but staring directly at him.

Darhk smiled faintly. “Does he still have his old skills? Tracking? Homicidal mania?”

“I believe so.”

“Believe so?” Darhk echoed, looking briefly at Merlyn.

“There wasn’t much time for testing.”

“Does he speak?” Merlyn merely shrugged and Darhk turned back to Savage. “Let’s try him out, then.” He raised his voice. “Vandal Savage, how are you today?”

Savage’s head tilted the other way, his mouth opening and shutting twice, with no sound escaping.

Darhk sighed and Merlyn tensed, ready to try and fight back against the magical execution, but suddenly-

_ “You...damn...traitor.” _

The voice was scratchy and thin, as if Savage wasn’t getting enough air to properly form the words. It would feature in his regular nightmares, Merlyn was certain.

“Excellent,” Darhk said, grinning. “He’s as good as new. Now, Savage, I need you to find someone. A girl.”

_ “Not...your...lackey.” _

Merlyn blanched, looking at Darhk’s face, which remained as calm and impassive as ever.

“I see. How disappointing. In that case, we’ll just have to find another use for you.” He looked at Merlyn. “Put him in the mines. He could work for years before dying.”

_ “What…?” _

“What else am I to do with you?” Darhk asked, barely glancing at Savage. “I’m devastated, truly.”

Savage surged forward, moving with speed that should have been impossible for any human, let alone one just reincarnated. He stopped mere inches from Darhk’s face, a blade that Damien had procured out of nowhere pressed against Savage’s stomach.

“Careful, Savage,” Darhk whispered. “Or I’ll have you put down. Permanently.”

_ “What’s...her....name?” _

* * *

“The Doors are the safest way back, but they’re the most heavily guarded place here,” Leonard said, as they continued walking. It felt as if all Sara had done in days was walk. She was exhausted and hungry. “Our best bet is getting you back up through the Gap. I know a few roundabout routes that should be unguarded.”

“I’ve gotta find Rip, first,” she said, only half paying attention as it was.

“Have you not heard a word I said?” Leonard glared down at her.

Sara glared back up, too tired to give a crap if he was annoyed. “I don’t know how he got mixed up in this, but I know he’s not a thief. He was trying to surprise me, or sweep me off my feet, and...so somehow he got ahold of this necklace, and it’s landed him a pile of trouble. If it wasn’t for me, he’d be home, safe.”

“How did he get hold of it?” Leonard asked, suspicion lacing his question, as if Rip had known what he was doing all along.

“I...don’t know,” Sara admitted. “The point is, I’m the only one who can get him out of it.”

“How’d you figure that?”

“Well, I’ve got the necklace. I can use it to negotiate his release.”

Leonard stopped in place, facing her. “No.”

“No?” she repeated, raising her brows.

“No, you can’t negotiate with Darhk. He’s insane. You’ll have to cut your losses and get the hell out of here while you still can.” Leonard started forward again, his point made.

“I’m not going to abandon Rip. I mean, he’s innocent.” Leonard continued on, ignoring her, and Sara found herself adding, “Besides, I like him!”

Leonard turned, the sneer on his face so condescending without saying a word. “Oh, you like him?”

“Yes. A lot.”

“Trust me, I know a thing or two about liking people and, in time, after bedsheets and sweet promises, ‘like’ turns into betrayal every time.”

“Not where I’m from.”

He scoffed and turned away from her, his shop just in the distance in front of them.

“Look, I have a bad record with relationships-”

“There’s a shock.”

She glared at the back of his head like she could pierce through his stubborn, arrogant skull. “And this is the first one in a long time that has meant anything. I’m not giving up on him. And-”

Leonard held up his hand, and Sara shut up immediately; now that her anger wasn’t humming in her ears, she could hear shouting from up ahead. They pressed against the side of the tunnel, Sara looking over Leonard’s shoulder as a posse of men in suits that looked more formal than the Collectors stood outside and around the shop, grabbing people who came out and shaking them, clearly asking questions.

“Work with scum long enough,” Leonard muttered beneath his breath.

Sara flinched as a man turned, his dark suit hanging strangely on his body, like it was cavernous or missing pieces. And his eyes, pale, empty white. “Who’s that?” she whispered.

“No one I’ve seen before,” Leonard muttered. “Wait...no, it can’t be.”

The man suddenly turned and looked directly at them, seeing them somehow through the darkness and the shadows and hundreds of yards that stood between them.

“Shit. We should run,” Leonard said, grabbing Sara’s arm. “Hurry.”

They ran back the way they came, but Leonard took three lefts instead of two, leading her to a small dock off the rapids, where a small motorized boat lay moored. “Down into the boat.” He grabbed the string to start the motor and yanked it, but nothing happened. “Hang on. There’s a trick to this.” He pulled again - nothing. “Which apparently, I never learned.” The third time, it started and Leonard crouched down none too soon, the man with the white eyes turning the corner towards them.

Sara ducked down as gunshots rang out, but the boat was too far away. She could hear shouts and other motorized vehicles starting up, but nothing seemed to be coming along the water.

“Where’s the casino?” Sara asked, when it had been quiet for a few minutes, other than the sound of their boat.

“I already told you, you can’t negotiate with Darhk.”

Sara opened her mouth, ready to argue, but Leonard continued, his eyes facing forward. “But, Malcolm Merlyn is a different kettle of fish. Perhaps he’ll do a deal. It’s a long shot, but it’s the only one me and you have got at this point.”

Sara stared at him for a moment, a particular phrase sticking out to her. “Me and you?”

Leonard glanced at her, then back out to the water. “Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my shop was ransacked. I don’t know if Mick is alive or not. I’m homeless. A target not only for the Collectors, but the resistance as well. There’s only so many places I can hide down here.” He was quiet, obviously thinking things through. “The way I see it, I’ve got one option.”

“What’s that?” Sara asked, though she thought she already knew.

“Go back Above with you.”

Sara fell silent, looking back at him. He glanced at her, and Sara had a brief glimpse of what it would be like to have Leonard living Above with her. He was certainly capable, if a pain in the ass. He knew how the world worked and had connections she didn’t. They would make quite a pair-

“Before we do anything, we have to make sure we shake these guys, though.”

“Who was that guy?” Sara asked.

Leonard didn’t answer for a moment, directing the boat down a narrower portion of the river, the roof low enough that they had to hunch their shoulders a bit. “He looked like a man I killed a few months back.”

Sara didn’t ask anymore questions.

Leonard drove them to a small alcove, tying it off. As far as Sara could tell, they were nearly on the opposite side of Tevat Noah, just outside the netting. Leonard led them between rundown buildings.

“This is the old industrial section, where the workers lived while they were constructing it. Dangerous, but few Collectors come around here,” he explained.

“Why’s it dangerous?”

“Sometimes the refugees can turn a little...violent.”

Sara checked that the necklace was tucked beneath her sweater, and that her knives were within reach.

“The engineering labs were through here, and not many knew about them. That’s our best bet,” Leonard said. “And as long as we don’t run into-”

Lights suddenly flickered on in the buildings around them, spotlighting Leonard and Sara. They froze for a half second, before Leonard cursed, and ordered, “Run!”

They took off, shouting and yelling following them, lights turning on and off and disconcerting Sara’s sense of direction. Leonard grabbed her arm, pulling her to the left sharply, and hissing, “Get on top of a building, they never go on the roofs, they think Darhk’s drones come out this far. Get on top of the building, stay there. I’ll come back once I’ve lost them.”

“What?” Sara asked.

Leonard frowned, pulling her further into the shadows of the alley. “I’m going to lead them away. Now, go.”

“I’m not going to leave you.”

His expression was annoyed and confused, and he opened his mouth to tell her off, she was certain, but flashlights shone into their faces and Sara realized their time had run out.

“Go!” Leonard said, shoving her further down the alley.

Sara ran as quickly as she could, making sure Leonard was right behind her. She wasn’t about to get another person in trouble because of her. They made it out of the alley, and into a cul de sac of sorts. Leonard led them toward a building in the middle, but just as they passed through the door, the floor gave out beneath them, and the two of them tumbled into a pit.

Stunned, Sara lay there for a moment, her body aching. She heard Leonard groan and knew he was alive, at least. “You okay?” she asked, weakly.

“Just about.”

Voices echoed from outside the front door and Leonard and Sara fell silent, hoping that they would pass them by.

Minutes ticked by and Sara just started to relax when a head poked itself over the edge of the pit.

“Who are you?”

Sara looked up at the man who leaned over the pit, his blue eyes wide and the stick he held in their direction quivering visibly.

Getting to her feet, she pulled Leonard up, keeping at eye on the man above. “Who the hell are you?”

“Me? I’m Ray Palmer, of Palmer Tech. Or, formerly of Palmer Tech,” he corrected himself. “You’re not Collectors, are you?”

“Do we look like Collectors?” Leonard said, rubbing his arm.

Ray shrugged. “Hang on.”

He disappeared for a minute and Sara looked at Leonard, thinking he might have information to shed. Leonard’s shrug didn’t give her much to go on.

“Here!” A rope ladder came unfurling down into the pit and Leonard went up first, standing between the rope and Ray when Sara emerged from the pit.

“Hi,” Ray said, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. Sara saw that he’d dropped the stick, and the backpack over his shoulder didn’t show any impressions of a weapon. “Who are you?”

“I’m Sara,” she said. “And this is Leonard.”

The criminal seemed annoyed she’d given up his name so easily. “I didn’t think anyone lived out here other than refugees.”

Ray grinned, “Well, depends on your definition of living.”

Sara arched a brow, not exactly sure how to respond to that.

“So you set that trap by yourself?” Leonard asked, glossing over Ray’s statement.

“Yeah. I invent things. Not that a pit’s much of an invention, but...yeah. I’ve done a few things. Acoustic motorcycles, and a headset that allows you to hear music without anyone else hearing it, see?” He grabbed something from his backpack, turning away from them as he rummaged through it.

“Acoustic motorcycle?” Leonard murmured to Sara. “Sounds like a box of crazy we don’t have time for.”

“So, it wraps around your shoulders,” Ray said, coming over to Sara and putting a piece of thin rubber and wires over her neck, “And it just…” he trailed off and Sara felt him touch the necklace at her throat.

“Get off,” she ordered, pushing him back.

“Those are the codes,” Ray breathed quietly.

Leonard stepped in. “Don’t get too excited. Necklace stays with her.”

Ray stared at her with wide eyes. “I knew this was meant to be. I knew it had to have a purpose, because otherwise…” He turned away and immediately went back to his bag, talking to himself and numbers escaping every other word.

“We need to leave,” Leonard murmured. “He’ll get us killed.”

“Maybe he can help us,” Sara argued.

Leonard rolled his eyes, “Have you forgotten about the resurrected psychopath that’s tailing us? This idiot’ll bring him down on us for sure.”

“If he’s survived out here with the refugees for this long, maybe he knows a thing or two.” Leonard’s scathing look told her exactly what he thought of that plan, but Sara ignored him. “Ray, we have some people tracking us, who want to take the codes.”

Ray turned and looked at her, his mouth opening-

Then he turned back around and went into his bag again.

“And you want to put your faith in him?” Leonard drawled.

“Yes,” Sara said, taking a step towards Ray. “He might be insane and have no idea what to do in a fight, but he’s a survivor and-”

“And I’m not deaf,” Ray said, getting to his feet. He smiled at both of them, apparently ignoring their earlier remarks. “I would love to help you. I’ll bring you, the necklace, and your...bodyguard to my place. It’ll be safe there, and off the Collector’s maps.”

“Did he just call me a bodyguard?” Leonard muttered darkly, falling into step besides Sara as they followed Ray out a backdoor.

“As if I needed one,” Sara retorted.

“Good thing I was working on this bike,” Ray said, moving a stack of crates to reveal two-

“Acoustic motorcycles,” he said proudly. “Fast as regular ones, but without all the noise of the motor. I’ve only got two, so you two’ll have to share.”

Sara gestured to Leonard to get on first, letting him get used to the handlebars and controls before she climbed on behind him. It was awkward and uncomfortable. Acoustic or not, the bikes were designed for one person only, and she could already feel bruises forming.

“Comfortable?” Leonard asked as he started the motor. She could feel the hum of the engine, but there was barely any sound that escaped at all.

“Not really.” She hooked her hands under the seat to hold herself in place.

Leonard’s head turned slightly, so she caught glimpse of one blue eye. “You could always lean forward, let my body take the weight.”

Sara sat up straighter at that. “No, thank you.”

Leonard’s laugh was lost as Ray took off, and the two of them followed closely, but not too closely, behind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, guys! I love this movie and I'm really enjoying writing this story. :)

“That was good, Ray,” Sara said, handing the empty plate back to him. “What was it?”

“I find it better if I don’t question it,” Ray said, with an apologetic smile. He took the plates from her and Leonard and smiled.

“When in Rome,” Sara muttered, leaning back against the wall.

Leonard smiled briefly, following Ray with his eyes as the younger man said, “Be just a minute.”

Ray went to the other side of the house - and it was, in fact, a house. One of the living arrangements for the workers who had come down here before, Ray said. There were several bedrooms off the main living room, where they were now, and a kitchen and functional bathroom attached on either side. They’d been shut down, as the workers moved in to Tevat Noah, but Ray had stolen a generator from one of the mining crews and made it almost homey.

As of this moment, Leonard had no intention of leaving the comfortable armchair, and as Sara was sprawled out on the couch, there wasn’t much call for it.

When Ray was humming the kitchen, Sara leaned forward, her eyes more alert than he’d seen in hours. “So how do we cut a deal with Merlyn?”

Leonard glanced over at her, his eyes leaving the empty fireplace. “I did say it was a longshot. But as long as you’ve got that necklace, you’ve got a chance.”

She hesitated and Leonard looked over before he could help himself.

“You?” she asked quietly. “What happened to me and you?”

Leonard was surprised at the unexpected hurt in her voice. He tried to soothe it, despite reminding himself he didn’t owe her anything, despite the fact that it felt like he did.

“I can’t just leave,” he said, glancing back to make sure Ray was still gone. “This might not be my home, but I can’t just abandon it. Despite what I said.”

“Why not?”

“I know enough to be good in a fight, and if either Merlyn or Arrow get their hands on the codes, it’s going to be hell on the people left. There are hundreds of refugees, not to mention Mick. I need to stay.”

God, wouldn’t his father laugh to see him now, pretending to be a hero. But after seeing the refugees here, their rabid attempts at survival and scrambling for scraps...he related a little too closely.

“Didn’t Oliver say he was going to have you hunted down and killed?” Sara asked.

Leonard chuckled. “He can try. Besides, I’m thinking if I turn up with the necklace, he might forgive me.”

If he weren’t staring so closely, he would have missed the way Sara’s jaw jumped before she looked at the empty fireplace. “So what’s what this is about,” she said harshly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you home safe and sound, first.”

“And Rip?” she shot back at him.

Leonard worked hard to keep his voice calm, but the mention of her wayward boyfriend never failed to irritate him. “You have to forget about Rip.”

She didn’t respond, and he went against his better instincts to lean forward in his chair, trying to convince her. “We’ll never get him out of the casino alive, and it’s only going to set off alarms,” he said. Sara stood and he stood with her, still talking. “It’ll make your escape impossible.”

“So you were just leading me on back there?”

“Believe me,” Leonard insisted, “it’ll be suicide.”

Sara glared at him. “So?”

So? She was young and pretty and deserved more than a death below ground or being forgotten down here. So? She was smart and should know better than to fight a losing battle. So? She deserved more than this life and if Rip wouldn’t give it to her, then maybe-

But, no. Because she’d made her choice, and she was clearly content to die for it.

“Rip’s a lucky guy,” he said beneath his breath, unable to keep it silent.

Sara spun at that, “What?”

Leonard stared into the fireplace again, keeping his hands still and his face blank. “Nothing. It’s late. We all need some rest. We can argue about this tomorrow. Okay?”

Sara didn’t answer, and Leonard ran his hand over his head before dropping his arm to the side and settling back into the armchair.

Sara stared at him for another short moment, then went into one of the bedrooms and shutting the door behind her.

Leonard exhaled slowly, letting his head fall back against the chair.

He refused to let her run off to her death. Whatever it took tomorrow, he’d convince her he was right. But that was tomorrow. Tonight, they all needed some rest.

The next morning, Leonard woke up slowly, the past couple of days making him feel his age more so than usual. It had been some time since he’d had such a time - outrunning refugees and Collectors, arguing with Oliver, having a classic brawl. He’d missed those days.

He stretched, the armchair not meant for sleeping, but Leonard didn’t feel entirely comfortable leaving the front door unguarded, despite Ray’s assurances that no one was getting in or out that way without waking him. Leonard glanced at Sara’s door, seeing that it was still closed, and started to prepare himself for another argument.

God, she was damn stubborn. Oliver had said that, too, but he’d clearly been talking about himself. What had he expected Sara to do? Stand in front of the bombs as they fell? Talk about selfish.

Though, she certainly seemed to lack self-preservation. All this over a guy she barely knew. Something rankled Leonard about that, maybe the mystery surrounding how this Rip got the necklace in the first place. Maybe how it was that Rip got a girl like Sara to come all the way down here to rescue him, at the expense of herself.

It just didn’t make sense to him. Sara was clever and confident, good in a fight, and driven. So how could any guy stupid enough to get himself captured land a girl like that?

He got to his feet and pulled on his jacket, ready to knock on Sara’s door, when a loud banging started up in one of the other bedrooms. He flinched, resisting the urge to cover his ears as he reached for his gun.

“Ray?!” Leonard snarled. “What is that?”

Ray appeared from a different room, disheveled and clearly disoriented. “It’s my...it’s my early warning system. Someone’s broken the perimeter.”

He went into the room and silenced the noises, but Leonard lunged for Sara’s door, banging his fist against it.

It swung open, bouncing against the wall and revealing-

“Where’s Sara?”

Ray seemed confused. “We need to get to the perimeter, if someone’s coming, I-”

Leonard wasn’t listening. He was staring at the room, empty save for the jacket he loaned her, folded neatly on the bed. The bed itself hadn’t been slept in, as far as he could tell.

He’d been out here, sleeping away, and Sara-

“No,” he muttered. Ray was still speaking and Leonard raised his hand. “No!”

Ray cut himself off, staring at Leonard, whose mind was moving a mile a minute. He could leave, he could walk away and no one would blame him. He’d done his job and then some. He had to figure out what happened to Mick and his shop, and he didn’t have time to waste on hopeless romantics who didn’t know well enough to stay put, and especially not blonde ones who’d saved his life-

Leonard stared at the folded jacket and muttered, “I need a bike.”

Ray led him outside, hopping as he pulled on pants. “Which way should we go?”

Leonard ignored him, making sure his gun was secure as he threw his leg over the seat. “You don’t have to come, Ray. This isn’t your fight.”

Wasn’t his fight, either, but he’d always been too stubborn for his own good.

“You couldn’t be more wrong!” Ray argued, pulling his helmet on and struggling with the straps. “You and Sara came to me for a reason. Call it what you will - divinity, fate, but there are forces beyond our understanding at play here.”

Leonard ignored him and started up his bike, though the silent engine wasn’t as effective in cutting Ray off.

Ray grabbed the handles of the bike Leonard was on. “Besides, you won’t find her without my help. I know this area of Tevat Noah better than anyone. I can guide us.”

Leonard resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and spun the bike around.

“You’re going the wrong way,” Ray called, stumbling as he got on his own bike. “We should go west.”

“You go west,” Leonard said over his shoulder. “I’m going east. She’s going to the casino.”

Ray pulled up next to him, his eyes wide. “But that’s certain death. Why would she go there?”

Leonard gunned the engine and took off.

* * *

“She’s lying, of course.”

Sara stared up at Darhk’s grim expression, her jaw set. She’d only seen him in pictures after the bombs fell, having not followed the campaign for mayor until it was too late. He didn’t look like a genocidal maniac, but...she didn’t know many.

The monster, Savage, had picked her up several miles away from the dark zone. That was a relief, because that meant he didn’t know where Leonard and Ray were. He’d searched her, his clammy hands picking through her pockets looking for the necklace. He’d had no luck. He stood in a corner of the penthouse office, his head still cocked at the insane angle. Darhk sat at the chair at his desk, only his expression revealing his discomfort. Malcolm Merlyn spoke up from where he was leaning on the wall, far away from Savage.

“We could search her again, of course,” Merlyn said. She recognized him from her childhood. He would have thought Tommy’s father would be such a monster. “More...thoroughly.”

“It won’t do any good,” Sara said, ignoring the way her wrists ached from the cuffs Savage had slapped on her, but refusing to budge.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Merlyn murmured, his eyes darting down and back up to Sara’s resolute face.

“Malcolm,” Darhk reprimanded. Then he turned his pale gaze to Sara. “Where did you hide it, girl?”

“I told you,” Sara repeated. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t worn a necklace since before the bomb.”

“We know Rip gave you the necklace,” Darhk said, rising to his feet slowly. “Thawne told us, hell rest his soul.”

Sara resisted the shiver that followed with that statement. Thawne had been fine when she’d seen him last. And if Darhk had spoken to him, it only left a few options as to what had happened.

“But the question is,” Merlyn said, straightening, “did you leave it Above?”

“Merlyn,” Darhk said with a sigh. “You idiot. Now she knows we don’t know if she brought it with her.”

“Ah,” Merlyn said, ducking his head. “That’s right. My apologies. Interrogations were never my strong suit.”

Sara eyed Merlyn speculatively. He was smarter than that. Perhaps Leonard had been right about the contention between Darhk and his underlings. Her thoughts threatened to drift back to Leonard - and Ray, and Oliver and Thea, but she pushed it all back, focusing her attention on Darhk.

“Wait,” Merlyn said, “do we really think she’s that clever? She’s here, after all.”

Darhk walked around his desk, stepping slowly towards Sara. “Oh, yes. I think she just may be.” He stopped directly in front of her. “You walked towards Savage on purpose, didn’t you? You wanted him to catch you...because you didn’t know your way here,” he said slowly, thinking it through as he spoke. “You could only do that if you’d hidden the necklace first. Somewhere safe. Discreet. Am I right?” he asked, as if she would answer.

Still, he smiled as if she revealed something, then continued.

“Your plan was to cut a deal with one of my cohorts, make your demands, and return the necklace only when they’d been met. But suddenly,” his voice dropped and he inched closer, “you find yourself face to face with Damien Darhk himself, the most powerful man in history and you don’t know whether you can go through with it.” He smiled. “You lost your nerve.”

He turned away from her, a smug grin tossed over his shoulder at her. “That about sums it up, doesn’t it?”

Sara swallowed. “No.”

“No?” Darhk turned to face her, incredulity making his face seem oddly more approachable.

“I haven’t lost my nerve,” Sara said, raising her chin.

“Now we have her where we want her,” Merlyn muttered beneath his breath.

Darhk’s eyes darted over, but he addressed Sara. “So, then. Sara, my dear. What are your demands?”

Here it was. Sara spoke clearly, her voice ringing through the room. “I want you to free my boyfriend, Rip Hunter, and send us both home. When we’re certain we’re safe, I’ll tell you where the necklace is.”

Darhk smiled. “I see.” He glanced over at the gathered figures. “Merlyn. Go and fetch this...Rip Hunter.”

Merlyn frowned, “But-”

“Do as you’re told,” Damien ordered.

Merlyn walked towards the door, but it swung open before he reached it.

Darhk, not at all surprised, merely lifted a hand to the incoming figure, his eyes never leaving Sara’s. “What a coincidence. It appears that Rip Hunter was waiting just outside the door. I wonder why.”

Rip walked in, looking...unfamiliar to Sara. His clothes were clean and pressed, the dark suit looking too severe on him, and his trenchcoat nowhere in sight. His eyes widened just slightly at seeing her, but instead of smiling or relief, his lips pressed together in a...a frown.

Sara started to shake, then.

“Rip? Are you okay?” she asked, hating that this was in front of all of these monsters, and hoping he could say something that would make this okay.

“I’m fine,” he said, the English accent reminding her of Above. “What are you doing here?”

Darhk stood a few feet behind Rip. “We found her running around in Tevat Noah, all on her own, so I brought her here.” He met Sara’s eyes with a smile. “I was very curious to see what sort of tart my right hand man is hanging around with these days.”

“Right hand…” Sara trailed off. “You’re his right hand man?”

“He’s my Time Master, the keeper of the codes. He lied to you about that, too.”

“Damien-”

“Don’t speak to me like that, you odious slug,” Darhk roared, making Sara flinch. “Your girlfriend has hidden the kill codes to Tevat Noah out there in the caves.”

Rip scoffed. “She’d not my girlfriend. She’s nothing to me.”

That blow landed. She’d risked everything to save him and he just... Sara would have drawn back had it not been for the cuffs and the eyes on her. As it was, she felt the blood drain from her face. “Rip-”

He ignored her as Darhk spoke again.

“So why did you give her the necklace?”

“As I said a thousand times before,” Rip said, that haughty, arrogant tone as unfamiliar to her as his clothes, “I didn’t give it to her. She took it. She was an affair,” Rip said, waving his hand as if she wasn’t right there, right in front of him, shackled like a prisoner. “That’s all. Someone to pass the time with while I explored the leftover pieces of Star City. I took the codes, as I didn’t trust others here,” he said, glancing at Savage and Merlyn, and getting two flat glares in return. “Little did I know she’d go through my things while I slept.”

What?

He turned to her, suddenly earnest. “Sara, tell us where you hid the necklace.” His expression was suddenly more open, his eyes wide with...fear?

“What?” Sara said quietly, not understanding what was happening.

“I didn’t ask you to come here. I certainly didn’t ask you to hide the necklace.”

But…

“So, come on,” he said arching his brow slightly. “Tell everyone where it is.”

Sara inhaled slightly. “I...I won’t tell anyone where it is until you’ve taken me home.”

The relief in Rip’s eyes told her she’d been right. He turned away from her again. “Perhaps that’s not such a bad idea. If I take her home, we’ll be sure to get it back.”

“Brilliant,” Darhk said, grinning. “The only little problem, well.” His smile faded and the air around him began to crackle. “I wouldn’t trust you if you told me water was wet. The Gap is under guard and the Doors have been locked until further notice. No one’s going anywhere until I get those codes back. I’m sure we can win over the lovely girl without having to go all the way back to home sweet radiated home.”

The door opened, and again, Darhk didn’t seem surprised in the slightest. “Ah, look who’s here. Our brilliant Gideon.”

The beautiful brunette who entered glared at Sara, the tight black dress revealing toned, unscarred legs and arms, her figure just the right side of perfect. She inclined her head, curls bouncing over her shoulders. “Mr. Darhk.”

She walked over to Rip, and lay a hand on his arm. Rip didn’t say anything for a moment, and Darhk spoke again.

“Rip, you have nothing to say to your fiance?”

Another blow to Sara, and this time, she couldn’t keep from dropping her eyes.

Darhk saw, and grinned. “What? Don’t tell me Rip forgot to mention his childhood sweetheart, their romantic reunion, his whirlwind engagement, and upcoming wedding?”

Gideon turned to Sara, who suddenly, irrationally became aware that she hadn’t showered in a couple days, and she was wearing clothes that hadn’t been properly washed in who knew how long. Her hair was a disaster and her skin was chapped and bruised. This woman’s flawlessly lined lips twisted and her perfectly arched brow rose.

“So. This is…”

“I’m afraid so,” Darhk said, obviously enjoying every moment of this.

“Really?” Gideon said. “I’m starting to wonder about your taste, Rip. If you think she’s pretty, what must you think of me?”

Darhk settled himself at the desk once more. “He thinks you’re the most gorgeous and brilliant creature there is, that’s why he’s marrying you.”

Gideon chuckled, twining her arm through Rip’s and smiling brightly at Sara.

Darhk began writing, not even lifting his head as he spoke to Sara. “You see, Sara, dear, Rip’s been engaged for months now. His flight Above was no more than a diversion. A wave goodbye to a mischievous youth.” He put his pen down and met Sara’s eyes. “You’re going to tell us where you hid the necklace and you’re going to wish you never laid eyes on Mr. Hunter.”

Sara refused to look over at Rip, believing that Darhk was already correct.

“Well,” Rip said, smiling. “I’d better run.” He walked up to Sara and put his hands on her shoulders. “Goodbye, Sara. I forgive you for stealing the necklace. I know you’re upset with me, and I don’t blame you.”

He took her hands and Sara felt a metal being pressed into her palm. Rip hugged her. “Goodbye,” he said, loud enough for the audience. “She’s here,” he whispered into her ear.

Sara didn’t react as Rip turned away from her, holding out his arm to the woman he was marrying.

“Gideon?” he said, taking her arm and escorting them out of the room without a backward glance.

Darhk stared at Sara for a minute, then nodded towards Savage. “Take her to the Acclimation Room.”

Savage nodded, then approached Sara, grabbing her arm and tugging her behind him. As the doors shut behind them, she glanced at what Rip had passed to her.

A small, golden bracelet, with a little bird charm.

Laurel’s bracelet.

* * *

Rip sat at the desk in his room, trying to focus on his work, but only able to remember the betrayal in Sara’s eyes as he’d thrown her to the wolves. He had to do something-

“Who is she, Rip?”

He turned slightly, seeing Gideon lounging on his bed. He did care for Gideon - brilliant and beautiful, she was everything he’d dreamed of after losing his wife and son. A woman who challenged him and supported him. Sara had done the former, but rarely the latter. Gideon was something special. 

But she also worked for Darhk, which meant there was a catch. He didn’t know what it was yet, but he was certain it would hit him when he least expected it.

“Jealous?” he asked, keeping his tone cool.

“Of course I am,” Gideon answered easily. She never lied, as far as Rip could tell. That either made her the most convincing liar Rip had ever met, or the biggest anomaly.

“Then help me get out of here,” Rip said, leaning forward on his chair. He waved to the locked door, but encompassed everything outside of them.

Gideon dropped her eyes, the brown filling with frustration. “You know I can’t do that. But,” she looked up and Rip remembered the first time he’d ever seen her, in school back in England, “if you tell me what you’re up to-”

“I’m not up to anything,” Rip said, turning away from the one woman he’d once trusted with his life. The sad thing was, he did love Gideon. Even if her loyalties lay with Darhk, he couldn’t keep himself from loving her. That was one lie he truly had told Sara.

He had to fix this. He had to make this right.

* * *

Sara fought against the hand holding her beneath the water, her lungs aching and her feet fighting for any purchase, but there was nothing - she was drowning, dying, she couldn’t breathe-

Pain lanced through her head as she was lifted up by the roots of her hair, air burning her nose and throat as she coughed and vomited up whatever water she couldn’t keep from inhaling. She couldn’t see anything, but she knew Savage was the one holding her down and bringing her up - he never even asked any questions!

The room she’d been dragged into was a small, dark room near the basement of the casino. It held a desk in the corner, a metal filing cabinets full of metal, shiny things Sara didn’t look too closely at, and a large metal tub full of cold water. There were no windows, not even fake sky to look at to escape. It was just the room, and Savage, and Sara.

She shivered, panic and cold water making her joints ache, though her screaming throat and lungs seemed more important at the moment.

“Don’t-” Sara rasped, “Don’t you want to know where I hid the necklace?!”

Savage began forcing her back towards the tub, and Sara fought with everything she had, but she was exhausted and this was the seventh time he’d done this.

_ “Not...really....More fun…” _

She turned her head, trying to look at him, but only seeing a hazy film of water and panic, “I’ll die.”

_ “Undoubt...edly.” _

He shoved her beneath again.


	6. Chapter 6

A hard slap across her face roused Sara from her near-unconscious state. She was lying on her back, a puddle of water around her, and looking up at Savage’s empty face, his hand raised for another blow.

“St-stop,” she said, hiding her face. “I’ll tell you.”

Savage’s hand lowered reluctantly and he took a step back.

Sara, shivering and shaking, got to her feet, every breath burning and her lungs aching. Her head was full of hazy circles and confusion, but she blinked rapidly, trying to clear it. “I have to...to write it down. I need to draw you a map. It’s the only way to tell you where it is.”

She would never admit to this monster that she was scared, but it was the truth. Every time he shoved her under the water, she thought it would be the last time. That he wouldn’t wake her up again. That it would be the end of her.

Savage’s head tilted the other way, and if he’d had control over those blank eyes, Sara imagined he might be frowning. Instead, he turned around, going over to the desk in the corner of this dark, nightmarish room, and grabbed a pen and pad of yellow legal paper from the drawer. He threw it on the ground in front of Sara.

_ “Better...hurry.” _

She grabbed the pen and lifted the quickly dampening paper out of the water, and began to write.

* * *

Gideon hesitated outside the door, just for a moment, just to take in a breath, because anything else would have been noticed. Then, she grabbed the doors and entered Damien Darhk’s office.

She imagined she could still see the imprint of Sara’s feet on the plush carpet, and the answering footprints that had stopped in front of her and hugged her before Rip turned and left. She remembered the look of hurt and betrayal on Sara’s face and wondered when it would be her turn to make that expression.

Ah, but it had already happened. The day Rip left.

“Rip’s been back for three days now, and you still have nothing to report?” Darhk said over his desk.

Gideon folded her hand in front of her, lowering her eyes to the ground and seething inside.

“The whole point of allowing your little courtship was so that I can keep an eye on him, through you.” Darhk lowered his pen and looked up at her, and Gideon forced herself to meet his baleful gaze. “If you can’t do that, I’ll give him to someone who can.”

“Rip has a very strong heart,” Gideon said, keeping her voice cool. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he just fell in love with this Sara.” That was more difficult to say, but she managed it.

“No,” Darhk said. “No. He singled her out for a reason. He wouldn’t have spent so much time with her unless she was useful.” He went back to his papers. “I’m certain of it.”

For a split second, Gideon understood what it was like it Darhk’s head. Every move of his was calculated for more efficient and productive use of his limited time and effort. Including his own relationships. Perhaps he was right, and there was a reason as to why Rip had chosen to give Sara the necklace, but maybe, though it pained her to think it, maybe he just fell in love. And Darhk couldn’t understand or justify that.

So Gideon waited until he waved his hand at her and left.

Once outside, she exhaled slowly, making sure no one else was in the hallway to see her momentary lapse of control. She didn’t like Darhk. She understood him, but never liked him. But when he’d approached her, offering her and her choice of one other person’s salvation, Gideon had taken the calculated risk to rescue Rip. Sometimes, she wasn’t sure he wanted her to save him, but she wasn’t going to let Rip die without trying.

When she gathered herself together again, she made her way to Rip’s suite of rooms, nodding at the guard stationed outside his room.

She opened the door and saw Rip facedown on the ground.

“No, Rip?!” Gideon exclaimed, running to his side. “Help! Rip?” she pleaded, shaking his arm to wake him.

The guard came in and knelt down next to Rip’s prone form. “What happened? Did you see-”

Rip lifted himself up unexpectedly, hitting the guard squarely in the face twice and knocking him unconscious.

Gideon fell back onto the ground, shock and anger and relief coursing through her, and frying her common sense for the moment.

Rip grabbed the guards cuffs and looked at her, regret in his eyes. “Darling, I’m afraid I’m going to have to tie you up.”

Gideon stared up at him, knowing he was going to Sara. That had always been his plan. And she couldn’t even hate him for it. She merely lifted her hands and refused to look at him, even as he cuffed her as gently as possible, vanished into the hallway, and left her.

Again.

* * *

Leonard stood outside the casino, Ray at his shoulder, despite his preference to have Ray as far away as possible. He refused to look back and remind Ray, yet again, to stay calm and silent.

It was afternoon - Sara had left only this morning, but it felt like a lifetime. He told himself he was only worried about the necklace, but he knew it was a lie. He’d seen the looks of the people in the casino, their haunted eyes, and though Sara had baggage, he didn’t want anyone to add to it. And the thought of something happening to her made him...uncomfortable.

The door creaked open and Leonard was greeted by a vaguely familiar face. “Hi.”

“Snart?”

“You expecting someone else?” Leonard asked archly.

“Wasn’t expecting you at all today,” said the guard, his young face in need of a shave and the brown eyes too damn naive to be working here. He glanced at the boxes by Leonard’s feet. “Thought you delivered on the first and fifteenth.”

Leonard shrugged, “With the Resistance dogging my moves, I had to mix it up a bit.”

“Where’s Mick?” the guard asked, looking at Ray with narrowed eyes.

“He had to mind the shop. I’m trying out the new muscle,” Leonard gestured to Ray briefly, praying the oaf remembered to be silent.

When Ray said nothing, Leonard internally breathed a sigh of relief, then said, “You good to sign for the delivery?”

The guard turned slightly, “Hey, Jake, can I-” He paused. “Jake?”

Leonard whistled briefly, drawing the guard’s attention, then suckerpunched him just beneath the jaw, knocking him out. He stepped over him, shutting the door behind Ray and quickly determining there was no one else in the loading dock.

He led the way to the hallway beyond, again quickly searching for anyone who might announce their arrival with an alarm, but it was quiet.

“Alright,” Leonard said, “we’re in, but we don’t know how long we’ve got. We should split up and search intermediate floors-”

“Why?” Ray asked, his first word since they’d parked the bikes out back and Leonard had threatened him with bodily harm.

“‘Why’?” Leonard took a moment to comprehend the absolute stupidity of that question, and was hard pressed not to snarl the answer. “Because we don’t know where she is.”

“I do,” Ray said, avoiding Leonard’s eyes as he looked down the hall. “I designed this place. Basement level. This way.” And Ray began walking confidently toward the elevator bay.

Leonard didn’t hesitate to follow him, but kept his questions to himself, for now.

The ride down was silent, the two of them refusing to talk and trigger any alarm systems. The doors opened and revealed a narrow hallway, obviously not meant for the paying customers to see. There was a light on in one of the rooms, spilling out from beneath the door.

Leonard drew his weapon from where it had been hidden beneath his coat and pointed it at the door. “Ready?” he mouthed to Ray.

Ray’s eyes were wide and he shook his head no. Leonard ignored him and kicked the door in.

Vandal Savage stood over Sara, who was kneeling on the wet ground and writing something on a piece of paper. Leonard’s eyes took in the scene - the tub of water, Sara’s soaking hair and shirt, the paleness of her skin, and amount of water on the ground, Savage’s wet sleeves - and he understood.

“ _ You! _ ” Savage snarled, stepping around Sara to come towards Leonard.

“Me.” Leonard fired and forced Savage back. “Let’s go, Sara!”

She got to her feet, ungainly and unlike her, and stumbled towards them, her hand extended instinctively. Leonard grabbed her hand and pulled her next to him, as Ray shut the door. Leonard froze it, and locking Savage inside, only temporarily, he was sure. He wished he could stay and finish the job - killing him this time would be far more satisfying - but he didn’t have a weapon that could permanently kill the monster.

Ray was in front of Sara and Leonard, pressing the button to the elevator. Ray looked over Sara’s head at him. “Same door out?”

“Do we have a choice?” Leonard retorted.

Praying they’d gotten in and out too quickly to raise the alarm, Leonard turned to Sara. She looked up at him, her eyes huge in her pale face, but he could see the color coming back into her cheeks.

He should say something - tell her she’s glad she’s okay, sorry for taking so long, that he missed-

Only now did he realize he still held her hand in his, and he released it

Sara shivered, her arms wrapped around herself. “You shouldn’t have come. You could get yourselves killed.”

He had a thousand questions, if she was okay, what happened, why she left them, but he settled on the easiest one for her to answer.

“Did you give up the necklace?” he asked.

“I have things under control,” she said, looking away from him.

“You tried to cut a deal with Darhk, didn’t you?” Leonard asked, amazed at her audacity and irritated by her stupidity and jealous of her loyalty-

“I was getting close.”

Leonard scoffed, “‘Getting close’? Maybe I’m wrong, but negotiations didn’t appear to be going so well.” He gestured at her soaked form and she glared at him, straightening her shoulders.

The fell into the elevator the second it opened, and Ray held the door closed button and pressed the button for the floor they came in on.

“I needed more time,” Sara said once they were inside.

“For what?” he challenged, ignoring Ray as he tried to speak. “Do you really think Darhk’s just going to send you and your boyfriend home?”

“No-”

“No, of course not!”

“-because he’s Darhk’s Time Master.”

Leonard froze, that name striking a chord. Even Ray recognized it, and both of them stared at Sara. The infamous Time Master, the one who’d gotten Darhk the codes to the missiles and had the codes to all of Tevat Noah, a figure so important he was never referred to by name, only his title. The one who literally held the fate of this world in his hands.

“The Time Master,” Leonard repeated in shock. “The Time Master is your boyfriend?”

Sara merely looked up at him and he saw...guilt?

Then the doors dinged open on their hallway and six men turned to face them, surprise on the faces and guns on their belts.

Not quickly enough, then.

Leonard raised his gun and ordered, “Watch her.”

Then he stepped out, weapon firing a sheet of ice at the men blocking their path, and he never stopped moving. Ducking under an icicle, he came up unexpectedly and slammed the butt of his gun under the chin of the first guy he saw, knocking him out cold. 

Two went round the other way toward Sara and Ray, and he hoped Ray was smart enough to knock them down first.

Leonard’s next opponent had his arm and leg frozen, the one after that knocked into the wall, but the last one he saw in front of him delivered a quick flurry of blows to Leonard’s center, knocking the gun out of his hands and him back against the wall. He recovered, ducking away from the next hit and dodging a third, trying to remember Mick’s tutelage in boxing.

Apparently, the lessons hadn’t stuck, because he took a fist to his face. Wiping away the blood, Leonard glared and lunged forward, catching his opponent by surprise and delivering a solid hit to his jaw. He fell back, and Leonard took the opportunity to retrieve his gun, before freezing the man’s legs to the floor.

He looked back amid the melting flurry and watched Ray kick the last conscious guard in the head before stepping over him, Sara in tow. Mildly impressed, Leonard went ahead to check that the loading bay was empty and relieved to find that it was.

An alarm started to blare overhead and he cursed, getting them out quickly.

Ray shut the loading bay door behind them, as Sara asked, “What now?”

Leonard pulled the branches aside to reveal the acoustic motorcycles. “We get on these and get out of here.”

Sara hesitated, her eyes going back to the building.

“We don’t have time to think, Sara. Just get on,” Leonard said, revving the silent engine.

Her lips thinned and she looked down at him, her gaze apologetic. “I can’t get on that.”

“You don’t have another choice!”

“You don’t understand,” Sara said, and shockingly, her eyes began to fill. “I can’t leave! I have a history with abandonment, and I can’t-”

Gunfire erupted over their heads, only inaccurate because the view wasn’t clear from the loading dock.

“And I have a history with bullets!” Leonard countered.

When she still balked, Leonard grabbed her hand. “Look at me.”

She did, the tears fading in her turmoil.

“I wouldn’t leave you, even if I knew you’d be okay,” he said, unable to round up enough concern about the gunfire to look away.

Sara blinked and climbed on behind, wrapping her arms around his waist. “How fast do these things go?” she asked, her voice still rough, but trying to hide it.

Leonard gunned the bike and it nearly shot out from beneath them. “This fast, I suppose,” he said, adjusting his hands to hang on a little tighter.

He could feel the chill of Sara behind him, still shaking from whatever Savage had put her through. And she’d been unwilling to leave, because of Rip Hunter.

“I suppose it’s his lofty ambitions and power, huh?” Leonard found himself asking. He hated it the moment the question left his mouth, but it was too late.

Sara shifted against his back, so she could answer, her words tickling the back of his neck. “He doesn’t have lofty ambitions and power.”

“Really?” Leonard sarcastically answered. “What is it then?”

She was silent for a moment, then her grip around him tightened. “Just shut up and drive.”

Ray was pulling ahead, so Leonard sped up even more, making conversation impossible as the guards behind them fell further and further behind.

* * *

“We have the confession,” Merlyn said, waving an envelope.

Damien looked up from his desk, seeing Merlyn and a damp looking Savage trailing behind him.

“Confession?” Damien repeated, placing his pen on the desk.

“Where she hid the necklace,” Merlyn explained, handing him the envelope. “Savage got it out of her.”

Damien tore it open and scanned the contents before sighing. “She left it Above. Locker 208, Star City Central.”

Merlyn’s glee faded, but he made sure to direct his glare toward Savage.

Soldering on, Damien cracked his knuckles. “Fine. Bring her here and I’ll deal with her myself.”

Merlyn glanced at Savage again, both of them looking vaguely uncomfortable.

With a long suffering sigh, Damien asked, “What did you do?”

_ “She...escaped.” _

“A crack team of refugees,” Merlyn said. “Dozens of them.”

He sighed, rubbing his temples and praying for patience. “Find her. Bring her back if she’s alive. In the meantime, bring me Hunter. I can get his input on the station.” 

Merlyn hesitated and Damien glared at him, then at Savage, who tilted his head away from him.

“What now?”

Savage shifted and bumped into Merlyn, who stumbled forward a step. “Um, Rip Hunter appears to have...disappeared.”

“How?” Damien asked, then realizing the futility of that question, raised his hand to stop Merlyn’s excuses. “No. Don’t tell me. Instead, first one to find them doesn’t get killed, how’s that sound?”

He returned to his desk, and when he looked up they were both still standing there.

“Clock’s ticking, gentlemen.”


	7. Chapter 7

The fuel in their bike only made it part way back to Ray’s house, so Leonard and Sara were forced to walk the bike the rest of the way. Ray seemed to have made it all the way, or so Sara hoped.

She shivered again, cold and residual tremors making it had to control them. She looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Ray.

“He’ll be at the house, don’t worry,” Leonard said from beside her, the bike between the two of them as he pushed it along.

“We’re sitting ducks out here,” Sara said, arching her neck up to look around them.

“Where’s the necklace?” Leonard asked.

“Safe.”

“Where?”

Sara hesitated and Leonard gaped at her, “You still don’t trust me after I-” He shook his head, annoyed. “I risked my neck getting you out of there.”

“Why did you risk your neck?” Sara asked. She understood he wanted the necklace, but that was a big chance to take. She’d fully accepted that no one had been coming for her, and then Leonard and Ray had shown up, and...she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“Unbelievable,” Leonard spat, pushing along. “Why are you being so ungrateful?”

“I don’t blame you,” Sara said, keeping pace with him, even if her legs were still jelly and the fight in the hallway had taken more out of her than it should. “Your people need you, and the necklace may make all the difference.”

“Is that why you think I did this?” Leonard asked, glancing at her. “So I could get my hands on the necklace?”

She didn’t know. She didn’t want to know. There was enough going on with Rip and Gideon and Darhk and Savage and Laurel and Leonard-

“I respect that,” she said, avoiding his question. “It shows you’re a man of integrity.” Her tone was sincere, almost an apology. “But first, I need to use it to get my sister out.”

Leonard frowned. “Your sister?”

“She’s here.”

“I don’t understand,” Leonard said, stopping.

“Rip slipped me her bracelet,” Sara said, stepping up next to him so she could show him. She pulled it out of her pocket - no one had searched her once Savage had taken her. “Look,” she showed him the back of the canary charm. “L. L. Laurel Lance. I remember this bracelet. It was for her sixteenth birthday. She’s alive. She’s in the casino somewhere.” She looked up at Leonard, smiling in excitement, close enough for him to see the etched letters, but he wasn’t looking at them.

“He’s lying.” Leonard’s face was calm, and his words were spoken gently, but it still hurt nonetheless.

Immediately, her joy was diminished. “Rip took a big risk passing this to me.”

“And you believe him.” Leonard shook his head, pressing on again.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Sara called after him.

“Because he’s lied to you about everything!” he shouted back at her.

“He had his reasons.”

Leonard laughed harshly. “I’m stunned,” he said, more to himself than to her. “Why are you even defending him?”

“Because he’s trying to help me.”

They turned a corner, just in sight of Ray’s house, but Leonard stopped and stood in front of her. “Really? Let’s think about that. He took the necklace from Darhk and gave it to you. Why?”

She didn’t respond, knowing where he was going with this line of questioning.

“It made you a target, Sara!” Leonard supplied the answer for her, anger sharpening the words.

“He wasn’t expecting me to follow him. I said I wouldn’t, but I screwed up, bringing it here,” she justified.

“And he blames you for that?”

“No! Not...exactly.”

“Why is he even going around Above, pretending to be someone else, anyway? This was his grand vision.” Leonard’s hand encompassed the whole of the giant cavern.

“Well, he’s hiding from them,” Sara said, looking away from Leonard.

“Why?”

“I don’t know!” Sara shouted, losing her temper. Leonard’s mouth shut, and he stared down at her. She wished he would just look away or walk away or leave her alone, but he wouldn’t. He’d push and push and push, until she admitted it.

She inhaled slowly, needing to tell someone. “He’s engaged. To one of Darhk’s employees.”

Leonard blew out a breath. “So he’s playing you.”

“I don’t think it’s like that,” Sara said, moving past him.

“And now, all of a sudden, he tells you that your sister has been in the casino all this time? Doesn’t that seem suspicious?” Leonard said, calling after her.

“What do you mean?” she asked, already knowing and not wanting to admit it.

“It’s not a coincidence!”

Sara spun, ready to prove him wrong, ready to tell him off, but he stood there, his lip still swollen from where he’d been hit, the bike out of gas from how he’d rescued her, and she...couldn’t. He was right, and he was there for her when Rip wasn’t, and though he’d lied, too, his actions had proven the honesty of his words now.

She wasn’t certain what she was about to say to him, when the door opened behind her and Ray waved. “Guys! You made it!”

Leonard sent her a glance that made it clear this wasn’t over, but they tabled the conversation for the time being.

* * *

Ray kept hushing Leonard everytime he tried to say something until Sara was given food and a change of clothes. So Leonard bit his tongue and settled into the chair as he watched Sara pretend she was okay.

But there was a moment, when Ray was stepping behind her and put his hand on Sara’s back, where Leonard saw her flinch. She wasn’t okay. And it was all Rip’s fault.

He felt terrible for trying to extinguish the hope Sara had when she’d said her sister was here. But she was taking the words, the  _ lies _ , of the man who’d hurt her, who worked for more people who’d hurt her, and she wasn’t listening to Leonard, who couldn't see her get hurt, not again.

Finally, it was Ray who opened up the conversation. “We should get Above as soon as possible. Darhk’s men are-”

“No,” Sara said, wrapped in Leonard’s borrowed jacket once again. At least it was dry.

“No?” Ray asked, suitably confused.

Leonard just glared.

“Listen, guys,” Sara said. “I’m really grateful for what you did, getting me out of...the casino. But I have to go back.”

Leonard got out of his seat and made to walk to the front door, before he turned around again to point a finger at Sara, too angry to leave without having his say. “Why are you still hooked on Rip? I told you, he was using you!”

Sara glared back at him. “And you’re not?”

He lowered his hand and his gaze for a moment, silently admitting that it had been true. Was still true. Right?

But, it wasn’t. Because Leonard would never hurt her the way Rip had. He couldn’t; he couldn’t stand just seeing the hurt on her now, he’d never be able to be the one to cause it. When she wised up and left Rip in the dust, Leonard would be throwing his hat in the ring in a second. Not that he was certain he had a chance at all.

“Don’t you care about what’s happening here?” Ray asked quietly from his seat. Both of them turned to stare at him, his unexpectedly soft tone lowering the tension. “All the peoples’ lives who are getting ripped apart by Damien Darhk?”

“Of course I do,” Sara answered him, far kinder than when she’d spoken to Leonard. “I’m one of them.”

“Then give the Resistance a chance,” Leonard said, stepping in, doing his best to match Ray’s tone. He fell short, but it seemed the effort was noted.

“I met those guys already,” Sara reminded him.

“One arm of the organization. A strong arm,” Leonard admitted. “But if we get to the top man, he’ll help us.”

“You know him?” Sara asked, and Ray looked over at him, brow arched.

“No, not exactly,” Leonard admitted. “Nobody knows his true identity. But I know how to find him.”

Sara looked partially convinced, so he pushed his advantage. “Give me a few hours. I’ll go back into the center and make contact. You can stay here with Ray and rest, and if I’m not back before dawn...”

She looked up at him, a faint frown slipping onto her face.

“Then, do it your way,” Leonard finished.

Before they could argue with him, Leonard grabbed his jacket and left, taking Ray’s bike and making it back to his boat, then the long trip back to his shop.

 

* * *

People always underestimated Mick.

He unlocked the doors of the shop, rolling his eyes at the damage Savage and his men had done. Boss was MIA with Sara, but they were obviously involved in something. Which meant, as usual, Leonard would try to handle it on his own.

Which meant, as usual, Mick would find a way to make it work.

He went into Snart’s office, removing the floorboard the guards hadn’t noticed was loose and pulling out a small safe with a grunt. He entered the code and it popped open, revealing a stash of money, enough IOU’s and indebted names to get him by, and a pouch of more important items. Pocketing all of it, he shut and returned the safe to its hiding spot, replacing the floorboard.

As he did so, he heard a noise at the back door. Grabbing his gun, he moved silently to the office door and held his breath, waiting.

A figure moved in stealthily, but Mick recognized the gun before the owner made it all the way in.

“Boss.” He holstered his gun.

Leonard’s nod was brief, “Mick. Glad to see you’re alive.”

“Same to you.” The relief on Leonard’s face was clear, at least to Mick, who’d been familiar with his face for years. “What do you need?”

“I need you to get a message to the leader of the resistance.”

Whatever Mick had been expecting, it wasn’t that. “Seriously? You think he’ll listen after what happened with Queen?”

“You heard about that?”

“Resistance came just before Savage. Gave me the time I needed to get everyone out.”

Leonard patted his arm briefly. “Good. And yes, seriously. Tell them we still have what they want and we’re ready to make a deal.”

“Will do,” Mick said. Going to the resistance meant shit was hitting the fan, but he was getting tired down here as it was. “Thought you killed Savage.”

“I did,” Leonard muttered. He started walking towards the hidden safe, but Mick stopped him.

“I took it. Here.” He opened the pouch and pulled out a golden bracelet, the edges sharpened to points. “Good luck.”

Leonard shook his hand. “Keep ready. We might need to call in those favors.”

“Will do, boss.”

He knew where to go. Where he’d be most useful, and no one would ever know.

People always underestimated Mick.

* * *

Sara stared into the almost empty cup, seeing the faint glistening of water at the bottom and doing her best to repress a shudder. She pulled Leonard’s jacket tighter over her shoulders, forcing herself not to look as the moon began to rise. Leonard had been gone for a couple hours already, and she hadn’t known how anxious his disappearance would make her.

“Were you in the city when the bombs fell?”

Sara lowered her drink, looking at Ray. He was sitting in the chair Leonard had vacated, his eyes darting between hers and the fireplace.

“Just outside. You?”

“And you lost people?” he asked, apparently not hearing her question.

Sara put the cup on the table, giving Ray her full attention. Her own discomfort was present, but she forced herself to be more observant, looking at the way Ray’s normally happy and expressive face seemed vacant and lost. “Yeah, I did.”

“I was Below,” Ray said quietly, carefully avoiding her eyes. “I designed Tevat Noah for Darhk, but at the time, I thought it was hypothetical. I didn’t think he would...I didn’t think. He brought me down with him, and I realized what I’d created. Darhk said if I wanted to leave, I could. Just before the bombs fell. So I....stayed. I saw what I’d done, saw the people Darhk was bringing in and what he was doing. I stayed, until I panicked and ran. I never made it back Above, but I know that people I cared about died. And it was partially my fault. I wished I’d died with them.”

“Ray-”

He shook his head. “But, after a while, some other feeling took over and I wanted a second chance to do the right thing. I wanted to make up for what I’d done. So I moved closer to the casino and spied on them, and designed things to fight them, and...waited.” Ray looked up and met her eyes. Sara was startled by the grief in them, what she hadn’t been aware Ray was carrying around.

“I think I was waiting for you. When you showed up, I knew the right time had finally arrived.”

He stood, and squeezed her shoulder, before going into his bedroom.

Sara watched the door close, and stayed there for a while.

Maybe it was finally time.

* * *

It was just before dawn when Leonard got back to Ray’s house. It shouldn’t have been so close, but he’d had to backtrack several times to avoid the resistance’s attacks on the casino. Apparently just seeing the necklace had sent Oliver into overdrive on his crusade, and he was sure that his message had reached the head of the resistance, who was probably already plotting. Things were changing, even now.

He could still hear the attacks at Ray’s house, which made him all the more annoyed when he walked into the disarmed house to find Ray fast asleep in his room, and Sara’s room empty.

Kicking Ray’s bed, he woke the inventor. “Ray! You’re supposed to be looking out for Sara.”

“I know, but I just dozed for a minute and-”

“Where’s Sara?” Leonard cut him off.

Ray opened and shut his mouth twice, but Leonard caught sight of a small piece of paper on Ray’s nightstand. His heart dropped until he read the whole thing.

_ Went for a better view of the sunrise. -S _

Sighing, Leonard left Ray to deal with his bedsheets and went back outside.

Stepping back, he saw Sara on the roof of Ray’s house, looking out towards Tevat Noah and the simulated sunrise that was just beginning. Finding the ladder, Leonard climbed up, nearly losing his footing twice before he reached the top. He could hear the sounds of the resistance even better out here, and knew Sara had heard them, too. When he got to the roof, Sara was turning towards him, her mouth open in a question.

He held up his hand, “It’s good news. They want to help.” He peered over the edge of the building. “They’re sending a special agent here, who’ll take us to see him.” He stopped, surprised she hadn’t interrupted him yet, considering their usual rapport. “You okay?”

She shook her head, like she was clearing something away. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back.”

Leonard frowned. “You still don’t trust me?”

Sara didn’t answer, but put her hand out to touch his arm. There was something in the way she was looking at him, something in the way her palm clung to his arm, that made him think it wasn’t about trust anymore, but before he could decipher it, she stepped back. “How soon ‘til he gets here?”

“Those guys can move pretty fast when they need to,” Leonard said, not liking his lack of a concrete answer.

A loud explosion went off a little nearer than expected and Sara flinched. Leonard reached out to her instinctively, but his hand merely hovered above her arm as he jerked his head towards the ladder. Inside might not be significantly safer, but it was still better than out in the open.

They got to the street again, but Sara still seemed reluctant to go inside. He didn’t force it, the color in her face still pale, and the tension in her shoulders still present. When she spoke, though, it wasn’t what he thought it would be.

“You’re going to join them, aren’t you? Fight alongside them?”

If he was completely honest with himself, he hadn’t made that decision. But hearing her say it, he knew it was his only real option. “I have to try. As Queen said, I’ve lived life here playing both sides, to stay alive and make a buck. I made Darhk think I was working for him while I fed his enemies.”

But he looked at Sara, the haunted look in her eyes from her life Above and her experience here Below and he knew he couldn’t go back to helping Darhk. Not when it hurt people like Sara-

No, just not when it hurt Sara.

He hadn’t been trusted by anyone other than Mick in his life, not really. And that was fine. He didn’t want the responsibility, he didn’t want to opportunity for someone to hold that bond over him. But Sara - Sara’s continuous lack of trust, completely normal for him with everyone else he’d met, was the single most frustrating thing he’d experienced. Leonard blinked as he realized it was because he wanted her trust him. He wanted her to believe in him because if a woman like Sara believed in him, it might make him worthwhile.

“Those days are over,” he promised quietly.

When she looked at him this time, there was something missing from her gaze. Some hesitance or resistance to him. A faint distrust he wasn’t sure she was even aware of. She trusted him, even if she didn’t know it yet. He smiled, and started towards the door.

Sara grabbed his arm.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“What will I do, if I get stuck here?” she asked, her hand still on his arm.

Leonard stepped nearer. “Then I’ll make sure you’re okay.”

It was an easy promise to make, one he wanted to make. One he would never had made to anyone else. Terrible timing and terrible circumstance and all, he was inconveniently and irrevocably in love with this woman. With her misguided loyalty, and mean suckerpunch, and blazing eyes, and stubborn morals. She was everything he shouldn’t want.

But he did.

He leaned down towards her, just a slight movement, but her eyes darted up to his and he could see the moment she realized what he was going for and-

And she didn’t move. Her eyes closed and she leaned up towards him.

In the last moment, Leonard murmured, “I think your luck is finally changing.”

“That’s right, it is.”

Leonard drew back, immediately putting himself between Sara and the newcomer, who he recognized, though they’d never officially met.

Rip Hunter. Time Master.


	8. Chapter 8

“Hello, Sara,” Rip said.

Sara flinched, her arm on Leonard’s as he moved in front of her. Unsure, and needing to make sure she was before anything went any further, Sara drew away from Leonard, ignoring the way his eyes darted to her and the frown that started on his face, and facing Rip.

He stood in the doorway to Ray’s house, looking exactly as he had when he’d thrown her to Darhk’s mercy, when he walked away with Gideon, when he crushed her feelings and gave her a slim piece of hope to hold onto. She didn’t want Rip, she never really did, but she’d cared about him, and there had been potential, maybe, before he’d betrayed her. And then there was Leonard - who’d come after her and saved her and came back for her…

Too many feelings conflicted within her to understand what she felt, exactly.

But she stayed near Leonard, knowing that his skeptical sarcasm was her safe harbor at the moment, and glared at Rip.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Rip asked coolly, his brow cocked at Leonard.

Suddenly, Sara realized the door was open, that Rip had come from inside the house, and she shoved past him to see Ray on the couch, his hand pressed against his head. “Geez, Rip,” she cursed, getting Ray a damp cloth to ease the headache.

“You think you can take me?” she heard Rip growl.

Sara turned, seeing Leonard and Rip staring daggers at each other, Leonard having pushed past him to stand once again between her and Rip, his gun in his hand.

“I’m not an idiot,” Leonard retorted coolly, cocking his gun.

“Hey,” Rip mumbled piteously.

“Nobody’s fighting unless it’s me, and I can kill you both, remember?” Sara said, getting to her feet.

“Who’s your friend?” Rip asked her, cutting his eyes at Leonard.

Sara didn’t want to give him any information to use, in case he wasn’t on the level. Despite what Leonard seemed to think, she did learn from her mistakes and she wasn’t going to make the same one again. “Just a friend.”

“Yeah,” Rip scoffed. “You two looked pretty friendly.”

“You jealous, Rip?” Sara asked, stepping up next to Leonard.

Rip’s jaw jumped. “A little.”

“Did I hear that right? The man who’s engaged is worried about me?” Mostly over Rip or not, she was still pissed as hell.

“You know that was just an act,” Rip said, taking a step forward and ignoring the barrel of Leonard’s gun.

“No, I don’t.”

Rip hesitated, then gestured out the back. “I’ve brought you transportation. Let’s get out of here.”

Leonard drawled, “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

“You know she can’t stay here,” Rip snapped at him.

“Stop it,” Sara ordered. “Both of you.” She put her hand on Leonard’s arm, speaking quietly to him. “I need to know about Laurel.” She looked back at Rip, ignoring the way he glared at the point of contact. “Is she here?”

“Yes,” Rip said. He blinked, and she saw the anger at Leonard fade almost completely behind a mask of calm serenity. How could she trust a man with a face like that?

“She’s alive and well,” Rip continued, taking another step forward. “If you let me, I’ll take you to her.”

“Really?” Sara asked, her hand slipping from Leonard’s arm.

Rip nodded. “But we’d better get going. We don’t have much time.”

“Where is she?”

“We’re moving her out of the casino, and if we hurry, you can see her by midafternoon.”

“What do you mean ‘moving her’?” Sara asked.

“I have people helping me.” Rip’s voice was insistent, urging action, but Sara remained still.

Leonard asked, “What people?”

“Do you want to see her or not?” Rip ignored Leonard’s question, his eyes on Sara.

“Yes,” Sara answered, the word drawn out by months of searching. “Of course. Right.” She looked around, zipping up her jacket.

Leonard grabbed her arm with his free hand, turning so his back was to Rip. “Don’t tell me you trust this guy.”

“He knows where my sister is,” Sara answered, but didn’t pull away from him.

“He’ll say anything to get his hands on the necklace,” Leonard hissed.

“No, he hasn’t asked for the necklace,” Sara said, relieved there was one redeeming quality to Rip after everything she went through for him. “He doesn’t want the necklace. Do you, Rip?” she asked, raising her voice.

“Yes, I do.”

Sara blinked, struck again by that sense of betrayal. “You do?”

“It’s all just an act,” Leonard insisted.

“We need the necklace to get you home. It’s the only thing that’ll make Darhk step aside.”

Leonard scoffed, glaring at Rip over his shoulder.

“Of course,” Sara said quietly.

“Don’t be fooled by this, Sara,” Leonard said, his hand tightening on her forearms. “He’s working for Darhk, remember?”

“Then why am I alone?” Rip said, interjecting. “Why aren’t there a hundred Collectors at my back? And how did I find you in the middle of the outskirts? Do you think I followed my nose?”

Leonard’s brows drew together and he turned to face Rip again, taking a step nearer, his gun still humming with energy. “How did you find us?”

“You sent for me,” Rip said, an arrogant tilt to his mouth.

Leonard frowned, looking confused for the first time. “Come again?”

“I’m the agent who’s supposed to escort you to the head of the resistance.”

Looking off balance, Leonard stepped back next to Sara, then slightly behind her, his gun lowering to point at the ground.

“You know the resistance?” Sara asked.

“Very well. The leader recruited me into the resistance long before the bombs fell,” Rip said, taking several steps toward Sara. “I was working for them from the beginning. I was...overconfident, which is why the bombs fell the first time. But I stole the necklace and went Above; it was supposed to trigger a coup. Unfortunately, you saw what happened. But if you give us back the necklace, we can give it another try.”

“You want to overthrow Darhk?”

“I’ve seen what he’s done close up, and I know, perhaps better than anyone, that if I don’t stop him, he’ll destroy the world.”

Sara dropped her eyes and felt torn between the two. She didn’t trust Rip, but he had information she needed. She trusted Leonard, but he didn’t know where Laurel was.

“So,” Rip said, his voice gentle, “who are you going to trust to get you and Laurel back Above? A resistance insider who’s already figured out your return trip home, who cares for you more than anyone else in the world? Or this man?”

Sara saw Rip gesture at Leonard, and knew she couldn’t answer.

Leonard’s gun powered off and he holstered it, stepping away from her and back towards the couch.

“Where’s the necklace, Sara?” Rip asked.

She looked toward the fireplace. “Where I wanted to put it.”

Rip moved over to the ashes of the fireplace, shifting them aside to reveal the glitter of the necklace. As he cleaned it off, Leonard leaned in to speak quietly.

“I wish you all the luck in the world, Sara,” he murmured.

“You’re coming with us, Len.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up, but his voice was bitter. “I don’t think I figure in the Time Master’s plans.”

Sara looked past him to Rip, “He’s coming with us.”

Rip’s words were apologetic, but his expression wasn’t. “The resistance was very clear. They’ll only help you on their terms. You must come alone.”

“But Leonard’s stood by me,” Sara argued.

“It’s for your own safety. And your sister’s,” Rip added, the nail in the coffin.

Sara turned to Leonard, her mouth open.

“Hey,” he cut her off, taking a step back. “I wouldn’t want to go with this guy anyway.”

“What will you do?” she asked, ignoring the tremor in her voice.

“Me?” Leonard chuckled faintly. “I’ll be fine. Believe me, you’re better off with this guy.”

Sara wanted to say something, anything. That she wasn’t better off, but that she just needed Rip right now, her sister needed her. But Leonard was going to fight, this might be the last time she ever say him, she might leave or get hurt, he might die, and she needed Leonard-

His expression softened briefly, regret and concern and annoyance all obvious on his face. “Go.”

Sara hesitated, but Leonard nodded at her, then turned away. Sara stared at him for a long moment, then followed Rip to the door, a half-hearted wave at Ray.

There was nothing she could say, and despite everything to the contrary, she felt like she was betraying them. As she went to close the door behind her, she looked back.

Leonard didn’t.

* * *

Leonard stared at the fireplace, ignoring the sound of the door shutting behind Sara, despite the fact that the click of the lock made him flinch. He understood why she went with Rip. Of course, he understood. If he hadn’t known for certain that he’d left Lisa safely in Central City, he would’ve been in the casino months ago, raising all kinds of hell to get her back. So, he understood.

He just wished he didn’t have to.

He wished he’d had the information Sara needed so she didn’t have to trust Rip yet again. He wished he’d been able to help so she would be alone with him. He wished...he wished he was enough like Rip to be the person the resistance trusted with such important information, rather than the criminal they’d tolerated out of necessity.

“I’m going after her,” Ray announced, getting to his feet and swaying.

“No.”

“I’m not going to abandon-”

“You’re not,” Leonard said, rubbing his temples and facing Ray - honest, good hearted Ray. “We’ve done what we can, and you should be proud. There’s nothing we’ll be able to do now but get in their way. She’s” -he nearly choked- “in safe hands.”

Ray stared at him in disbelief, but Leonard ignored that.

Sara had made her decision, and he wasn’t going to get in the way.

* * *

The motorcycle ride was far more uncomfortable with Rip than it had been with Leonard, and Sara hated that she already knew why. She hated that she’d left her friends behind and she hated that she didn’t hate Rip enough.

He’d used her, like a pawn in a game, and that’s exactly what this was. Rip worked for the resistance, which meant his concerns were larger than her and her feelings. And objectively, that was okay.

But Sara wasn’t great at being objective.

She sat back on the bike, her hands wrapped underneath the seat as opposed to hanging onto Rip. She didn’t want to hold onto him, when all he’d done is let her down.

Besides, he didn’t smell right.

They stopped for a brief break for Sara to stretch her legs and Rip to scout ahead. When he came back, he took longer than he needed to examine the bike, as if he was waiting for something.

“So who’s Gideon?” Sara asked, her arms crossed as she leaned against a wall.

“Darhk’s creation. An arrangement,” Rip said immediately.

Sara knew what it sounded like when Rip lied. It was easy - every time she heard his voice, it was a lie.

“I have no feelings for her,” he said.

Lie.

“Nor she for me.”

Lie.

He got to his feet and made to take Sara’s hand in his. She stepped away from him.

Rip seemed shaken, which was interesting. “My heart belongs to you, Sara. Completely.”

Lie.

“You believe that, don’t you?” Even he sounded unconvinced.

Sara merely laughed at him, a cold, harsh sound. Then she walked over to the bike and gestured for Rip to get on.

She wouldn’t waste more time with lies. Not from Rip, and not from herself.

* * *

Leonard’s bike kept pace with Sara and Rip, just several streets over so as not to be seen. He’d been tracking them five minutes after telling Ray to leave them alone.

He said he wasn’t going to get in her way. Not that he was leaving her.

She was stubborn and driven and wanted to help her sister, and he understood. But he was going to be there when this all went sideways, as it undoubtedly would. Either because Hunter was going to betray her again or his incompetence would get them in trouble - everything about Hunter screamed ineptitude and Leonard wasn’t about to let Sara suffer from that again.

So Leonard kept pace, looking before and behind Sara and Rip, above and to the side, keeping an eye out for-

Son of a bitch.

Leonard cut across to the north side of Rip and Sara, who were still unaware of his presence, though they wouldn’t be for long if he didn’t put a stop to this idiocy.

Speeding up, Leonard made a turn and waited behind a corner. Then, when his quarry came into view, he stepped out from behind.

“Ray.”

Ray smothered a shout, glaring at Leonard. “Geez, Leonard. You nearly scared me to death.”

Glaring at the inventor, Leonard crossed his arms. “You’re following them.”

“So are you,” Ray argued, lifting his chin slightly.

Leonard scoffed and looked away.

“Don’t you shake your head at me,” Ray said. His voice grew stronger as he continued. “When I gave you the bike, you said you were going back to your shop. This isn’t your shop.”

Leonard sighed as he noted Ray’s insistence and the stubborn set of his jaw. Leonard had no idea what Rip was going to lead Sara into, maybe having some backup wasn’t the worst idea. He got his bike from around the corner and motioned for Ray to follow him. “Come on, then.”

* * *

Rip parked the bike in an alley, and Sara got off, stretching sore limbs. She was exhausted, mentally and physically, and just wanted to take a long nap. But that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

They were just a few blocks outside the nicer area of Tevat Noah. Close enough that she could see the lights of the casino and hear cars of the Collectors and guards driving around. They’d had to duck out of sight several times to avoid being seen. Here, the explosions as the resistance attacked the casino were even louder than before and rattled Sara’s teeth in her jaw.

Rip didn’t go to either of the doors on the sides of the alley, but opened the manhole in the middle of the alley. He went down a small ladder to where a light glowed. Sara followed him down, asking, “What is this place?”

“Resistance headquarters,” Rip said. He held up his hand to help Sara off the ladder, but she ignored it, hopping off the rungs onto the concrete. “Just stay close to me.”

They walked for a short time along the new sewers. They hadn’t even had time to turn strange colors and the odor was barely present. But then again, they’d only been in use for about a year.

They reached a wooden door in the side of the sewer, and Rip knocked. It opened, and a woman with white hair and unnaturally blue eyes looked out.

“Hunter,” she said, her voice echoing in the chamber.

“Frost.”

“He’s waiting inside.” She stepped back and they entered another series of tunnels that had been renovated as a small office. As they walked in, a young man stood up from behind one of those desks.

“Hi,” he said, his grin wide. “You must be Sara. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Uh, hi,” Sara answered, frowning. “Who are you?”

The schoolboy charm was in full force as he ducked his head and chuckled, “My name is Barry Allen. I’m the leader of the resistance.”

“You?”

Rip cut his eyes at her, shaking his head, but Sara had learned better than to listen to him.

Barry laughed, “I know I look young and all, but time doesn’t exactly work in a linear fashion.”

Sara’s frown only deepend. “Why are you here?”

At this, Barry’s jovial humor faded. “I’m here because I feel responsible. Time travel, and all that. I think I made one too many butterflies flap their wings.”

She shook her head, not in the mood to deal with this.

“Do you have the necklace?” Barry asked.

Rip nodded, reaching into his pocket.

“Wait,” Sara said. “There are innocent people here. Kids. You can’t just destroy this place until we get them out.”

Barry nodded. “I know. That’s why we’ve already started. Those who are smart will run. The rest will have made their choice.”

“When?” Sara asked.

“Tonight.”

“What?” she breathed. “That’s not enough time!”

“It’s all we have,” Frost said, coming up from behind. Another man joined her, his long hair and lined face more suited for grins than the scowl he wore right now. “Cisco’s done everything he can.”

“I’ve been running interference as best as I can, but Darhk’s close to changing all of it. If we let him change it, we have nothing. By my calculations, we have until midnight.”

Sara would have shouted at him, too, had his voice not been so heavy with regret. Instead, she turned back to Barry.

“Where’s my sister?”

Barry glanced at Frost, who went back to the pile of cameras.

“She should be here any minute,” Barry said.

“Harry’s here,” Frost said.

Barry motioned to the hall that led back to the ladder. “Let’s go meet her.”

Rip took the necklace out of his pocket, but Barry glanced at Sara. “Only after we hold up our end of the deal. Fair’s fair.”

Softening slightly towards the too-old-young man, Sara followed Rip and Barry out into the halls again, Frost and Cisco bringing up the rear, their quiet whispers not enough to fill the long sewer system. They reached the ladder and began climbing up.

Sara’s chest began to tighten, the moment that she’d been waiting for finally here after a year. Intermixed with it was panic and fear, fear for the people she’d only just met, who didn’t know this whole world was going up in flames at midnight. She’d have to find Leonard and warn him-

She scoffed silently, her hand reaching up to pull herself through the manhole cover. She was only just now about to get her sister back, was she really going to risk everything for the sake of a drug-dealing, sarcastic, arrogant, ass like Leonard Snart?

_ Yes. _

Sara smiled, the answer easy and fitting into her heart without an issue, then looked up.

Vandal Savage and an easy two dozen Collectors surrounded the manhole, weapons aimed at them as they exited.

She made the move to go back in, but Savage cocked his head at her, and she heard the sound of many guns being aimed at her.

“Stop right there!” one of them shouted.

“Freeze!”

Their shouts still accomplished what Sara had meant to do. She heard Cisco and Frost descend the ladder quickly, and prayed they had another way out.

When the Collectors heard the movements, they grabbed Sara by the arm and back of her jacket, hauling her up and out, then hurrying after them in pursuit.

_ “Well…well...well.” _

Sara gritted her teeth and met the monster’s eyes. Rip was already trussed up on the ground, with another dark haired man and Barry, and Savage was holding the necklace in his hand as he looked down at Sara.

_ “I’m...disappointed. I...expected...more.” _

When Sara’s only response was to spit at him, Vandal’s mouth twisted into a smile.

_ “Where’s...Snart?” _

Like Sara would betray him. “I don’t know.”

_ “Picked...up...your...messenger,” _ Savage said, turning to the other man on the ground; Sara assumed this was Harry.  _ “You...weren’t….difficult...to find.” _

Sara didn’t say anything to that.

Obviously not the response Savage was looking for, he frowned and turned to Rip.  _ “You’re...gonna...break...Gideon’s...heart.” _

Sara wasn’t shocked to see the paint that flashed across Rip’s face at the mention of the woman. For Gideon’s sake, she hoped Darhk would be merciful, though she doubted it.

A Collector cuffed her hands behind her back as Savage knelt in front of Barry, the movements still stiff and awkward on him.

_ “The...mysterious..resistance…leader,” _ Savage rattled out, drawing Barry’s defiant gaze.  _ “This...is...the...end. Finally.” _

Barry flashed a smile. “Is it?’

Suddenly, Barry went fuzzy around the edges, and Sara heard the cuffs on his wrists snap. Before she could blink, Barry vanished, leaving Rip and Sara, and the necklace, behind.

* * *

“Oh, god,” Ray whispered.

Leonard and Ray were just a couple blocks away, able to see Rip and Sara taken by the Collectors. Just as he thought, Hunter stupidly walked out without checking his surroundings and took everyone else down with him. Leonard hated hanging back as Savage loomed over them, but he had to have a plan. It was a stretch, to be sure, but…

“Okay,” Leonard said, his hand tightening on his gun. “I know there’s a lot of Collectors, but if we let them get to the casino, there’s going to be a lot more. We have to take them now.”

Ray made a sound, then looked at Leonard again. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Leonard revved up his motorcycle. “We’ve got surprise on our side, and we’ve got wheels.” He gestured to the end of the alley. “They’ll bottleneck there. I’ll go in shooting and keep them busy for a few seconds, that might give you enough time to get in there, grab Sara, and ride away.” A desperate plan, but it was all he had. Lucky that he had Ray here, because it would be impossible alone. Apparently the insane inventor would serve a purpose after all.

Ray was mumbling something, but Leonard ignored him.

“Okay,” Leonard said, taking a deep breath. “Show me what you’re made of.”

Ray chuckled, but it was a choked sound.

“Ready?” Leonard asked.

Ray’s nod was short, but it was there.

Leonard toed the kickstand up, and counted off. “One. Two. Now!”

The back wheel of his bike peeled out for a moment, before it found traction and sped him forward, taking everyone by surprise.

Before he started firing, he saw Sara’s face light up, and she shouted, “Len!”

For the first few seconds, his plan worked perfectly. The Collectors were distracted, Savage focused on him, rather than Sara, so Ray could get in and-

Ray?

“Ray!” Leonard shouted, sparing a glance back, but all he saw was the edge of Ray’s bike disappearing down the street.

He attempted to wheel around and grab Sara, but there wasn’t enough room to maneuver and before he could gain enough speed, he heard a gunshot-

Fire lanced through his leg and the bike sputtered and died. Collectors fell on him as his gun ran out of charge, and threw him to the ground. Through it, he heard Sara shouting.

“Get off of him! Get off! Leonard!”

When the dust cleared, he was cuffed and disarmed, and Savage stood over him.

_ “What...a...nice...surprise,” _ Savage hissed.

Then his boot connected with Leonard’s head, and he knew no more.


	9. Chapter 9

Darhk sighed as the Collector placed the codes into his palm. The room burst into applause and he smiled. Finally, things were right in the world.

“I think I’ll keep this with me until after the rest of the resistance has been stamped out,” he said. “Then, we’ll go through with the rest of the plan.” He eyed the smiling multitudes, then his eyes landed on the two people cuffed in the corner. The third one, his former supplier, had been taken below by Savage upon their arrival, and Darhk doubted he was even still alive. Pity.

He considered Sara for a long moment. She’d proved resourceful, clever, and hard to stamp out. He admired that. However, decisions had to be made.

He turned to Rip first. “My own right hand man. Blackest of all black sheep. I gave you a home, a purpose after losing your family, even a new love, and now, here you are, with nothing but hatred and deceit in your heart.”

Merlyn spoke dryly, “It’s unnatural.”

Rip just stared back at Darhk, not responding. He was mildly impressed at Rip’s backbone.

“Have you nothing to say before I pass sentence?” Darhk asked.

“Send Sara home,” Rip said immediately. “She doesn’t deserve this. The resistance is bad enough now, but if she’s executed, her friends among them will only try harder.”

“Nonsense.” Darhk said, waving his hand.

“She can’t do anything if she’s back Above, and she’ll never find her way back. You’ve lost the resistance leader, do you want to lose the sympathy of your currently loyal followers by executing a young woman?” Rip challenged, stepped forward.

Darhk scoffed, but Merlyn approached, his eyes darting over to the small, blonde girl in the corner.

“There is...some logic to what he says,” Merlyn murmured, turning his back to Rip.

“Don’t let him manipulate you, Malcolm.”

“Go ahead, then,” Rip said. “Risk it.”

Merlyn arched a brow and Darhk glared. “Leniency is not an option.”

“Of course not. We’re going to get rid of her, naturally. The question is, how?”

Darhk smiled. “I’ve always liked a good drowning.”

“Yes,” Merlyn agreed. “But again, that may be the match that strikes the fires of the resistance. It’s risky.”

“You’re not falling for that, are you?”

Merlyn started to backpedal. “No, but we will have to tread carefully. Running an empire is a tricky business.”

“What do you suggest?” Darhk asked, humoring him.

“Well, there’s banishment.”

“Banishment,” Darhk repeated, unconvinced.

“Banishment to the radiated hell of Above,” Merlyn rephrased it. “Some people would even say it’s worse than execution.”

Darhk considered it. There was a risk to killing her, and there was a small part of him that didn’t want to snuff out a fighter like Sara Lance. He turned back to the group. “I have decided that the harsher sentence of banishment is more appropriate. Bring her to the Doors, and have her sent back as quickly as possible.”

Sara was dragged out of the room, her eyes darting back to Rip, but she didn’t have time to say anything before the doors shut.

Raising his chin, Darhk looked at Rip. “It is with a heavy heart that I, Damien Darhk, do sentence you, Rip Hunter, to be held overnight under scrutiny. Tomorrow morning, you shall be taken to the Grand Hall to face the executioner.”

Rip blanched, but was taken from the room.

Merlyn glanced at Darhk, the familiar look of fear comforting, then he and the Collectors left Darhk alone.

Touching the necklace in his pocket, Darhk smiled.

* * *

Ray pushed his bike, his rambling mutterings the only sound in the streets. He’d gotten so turned around, he had no idea which way he should go, so he was just going until something looked familiar. It usually happened. Eventually.

“They couldn’t have gotten away,” he said to himself. “There were too many of them.” He caught sight of his reflection in the side mirror. “I know what you’re thinking. Of all the people they had to meet, it had to be me. The coward. I’m not their friend,” he whispered. “I’m a coward. An imposter. A big fat, fraud!” he shouted.

He shoved the bike to the side, glaring at the fruit of his labors. “And while Sara and Leonard are tortured to death, you wander around, talking to yourself, and whining!”

Ray panted, his hands in fists. “Well, it’s time you stop whining and did something real. Something useful. Something brave. Something like-”

“Hey.”

Ray squealed and spun on his heel, coming face to face with a giant man, scarred and terrifying. He stepped back quickly, tripping over his bike and staring up at him.

The big man cocked a brow. “I’m Mick. Did you say something about Leonard and Sara?”

He extended his hand and Ray took it, allowing Mick to pull him to his feet.

“Yes…?”

“How can I help?”

* * *

The motorcycle was loud, and hurt Sara’s ears after so many rides on Ray’s acoustic ones. She had been shuffled into a sidecar, her hands cuffed in front of her, and her mouth still aching from where she’d tried to fight back. She lifted her knuckles to her lip, wiping the blood away again, then worried the spot with her tongue.

She could see the looming doors ahead, just a short 30 minute drive from the casino itself, and heavily guarded. There were dozens of men at the Doors that she could see, even from a mile away.

The radio on the shoulder of her entourage hissed, then came through.  _ “Darhk wants a status update on prisoners. Over.” _

Her guard slowed the bike slightly, reaching up and pressing the button to respond. “In sight of Doors. Banishment imminent. Over.”

He released the button and another voice came through.

_ “Body removal detail heading to Acclimation Room. Over.” _

The radio went silent, but Sara still heard that hissing and buzzing in her ears.

The Acclimation Room - a tub and empty walls, and Savage.

Body removal detail.

_ Leonard _ .

“No,” she said quietly.

The guard glanced down at her. “What?”

Sara gritted her teeth, not caring that they were on a motorcycle, or that she had only just escaped, or that she could see relative safety in front of her, or that this entire world might crumble at midnight if the resistance finds a way-

“No!” Sara shouted. She stood, swaying on the sidecar, before jumping behind the guard, who struggled to keep the bike straight, instead of trying to stop. Her cuffed hands went in front of him, grabbing the keys off of his belt, as she dodged his desperate attempt to slam his head back towards her. She blindly tried the first key she found and miraculously, the cuffs went loose and fell off of her left wrist.

That was all she needed.

Grabbing the handlebars, she yanked it to one side, and the guard slipped, with the help of her boot, into the sidecar. While he was ass over teakettle, Sara reached down, pulled the lock that connected the sidecar to the motorcycle, and set him free, careening down the road.

She whirled the bike around, her knee nearly touching the gravel road, and gunned the engine, roaring her way back to the casino, to her sister, to Darhk, and to Savage.

Sara wouldn’t let him get away with this.

* * *

Electricity zapped into Leonard’s side and he hissed through his teeth, a moan breaking through. The current continued, and he couldn’t control the scream that built up, echoing in the dark room. When Savage took the taser away, Leonard’s head hung forward, limp against the ties that bound him to the chair.

_ “Where...is...Queen’s....hideout?” _

Leonard laughed weakly, watching his blood splatter his jeans, dragging his eyes up to meet Savage’s. He merely grinned, blood staining his teeth and the implements on the table.

Savage’s dead face almost broke into a smile.  _ “Didn’t...think...you’d...crack.” _

Leonard’s fingers shifted, an hour of torture and he had only just been able to get through the cuffs. One unholy hour it had been.

Leonard kept his smile in place, holding Savage’s gaze, until the other man’s head cocked the other way, and Savage’s grin widened.

_ “No...need...to...keep...you...alive, then,”  _ Savage hissed. He drew a knife from his belt.  _ “Goodbye...Captain.” _

He wasn’t free yet, but Leonard was out of time. He threw himself backwards, ignoring the burning of his arms and grabbed the chair he’d been bound to, holding it between him and Savage like a shield. The movement dislodged the rest of his right cuff, and he reached down into his boot, pulling out a golden bracelet. He kept the bar in his hand, the pointed and sharpened edges flaring around his knuckles.

Savage’s eyes widened and he snarled.

Leonard swung his hand up, blocking Savage’s knife with the chair, effectively, if awkwardly, and slammed the bracelet into Savage’s throat.

The monster fell, the jagged edges of the bracelet slicing a ragged hole along his neck. Leonard ignored the labored breathing, kicking the knife out of reach, before grabbing the keys from Savage’s belt and unlocking his cuffs. He waited only long enough to listen to the wet breathing stop, and to wipe away the blood from his face as best he could. He straightened his coat, pocketed the bracelet, grabbing his gun from the table, and strode out.

Time to be a hero.

* * *

Darhk lifted a glass of scotch to hips lips, sighing softly and fogging up the glass a bit. The codes were back. The traitors killed, about to be killed, or banished. Life was good.

“At last,” he murmured. “Peace.”

“Uh, sir?”

Darhk closed his eyes briefly, then turned. “Yes?”

Merlyn stood in the door, shifting from foot to foot. “We’re...under attack.”

“From whom?” Darhk said, getting to his feet. “The resistance-”

Merlyn crossed the room and opened the shades that kept the false light outside. Revealing the square outside the casino, Merlyn stood back as Darhk rose up, staring out at the scene.

Hundreds and hundreds of savage-looking people were outside, armed with everything from guns to sticks, and advancing on the casino. Some of them wore casino-issued costumes, some were in the ragged clothes of the mines.

“There must be hundreds of them,” Darhk murmured. His guards numbered in the couple hundred, and they were currently occupied with the resistance at the east side. “Who are they?”

“Refugees,” Merlyn said.

“Impossible,” Darhk answered.

But in front of him, it was clear it wasn’t impossible. He could seem them, coming toward them like a tidal wave, and he wasn’t certain he’d be able to survive this storm.

“I will not have paradise fall to these subhumans,” Darhk snarled, his fingers wrapping around the codes tightly. “Get Savage. Get the Collectors, get everyone!”

Merlyn nodded, then grabbed the radio at his belt and said into it, “All Collectors and guards, report immediately to section commanders.”

Darhk glared into the oncoming storm, and held his ground.

* * *

Ray ducked as bullets rang out above his head, the Collectors on the roof firing down into the crowd and taking some of his people down.

“Come out, you cowards!” Ray bellowed up at them.

He shouted wildly into the air, but Mick grabbed his arm. “Hold it, smart guy. Don’t fire ‘til you see the whites of their eyes. You’ll waste ammo.”

Ray nodded, but adrenaline was still coursing through him. When Mick had suggested just asking the refugees for help, he’d wanted to laugh, but between his impassioned pleas and logic and use of rhetoric, (and Mick’s mention of revenge), the refugees had amassed and gathered for a full scale attack on the casino. They kept to the west and north side of the casino, while the resistance seemed to have a foothold in the east. At Ray’s insistence, they left the south open for those who were trying to run. He didn’t want to kill anyone, not really, but he wanted this place destroyed.

“We’re never going to make it through if we can’t get those guys off the roof.” Mick ducked again, tension in his shoulders. Ray could relate - they’d heard nothing about Leonard and Sara, and Ray couldn’t help but fear the worst.

A red blur stopped in front of Ray and Mick. The bigger guy leveled his gun at the arrival, his eyes narrowed.

“Maybe I can help?”

“Who the hell are you?” Mick asked, exasperation in his voice.

“Barry Allen. And I think I’ve got a plan.”

* * *

Rip blinked again, the bright white light of the room burning into his eyes. The two way mirror only showed him - battered and bruised, rumpled and defeated. He was cuffed to the table, free to be looked down upon by the filth he had been trying to bring down. The metal chair was unforgiving, too short to be comfortable and too hard to doze and pass the time. He was just waiting to die, either by Darhk’s hand or by the hand of the resistance attacking the building. One way or another, this was the end.

Sara was safe, at least. There was one redeeming thing to his harmful life. Gideon popped into his head, and his heart skipped a beat, then restarted painfully. He would die not knowing what happened to her. He would die with her not knowing that he truly-

The door unlocked and Gideon slipped in, keys in her hand. She didn’t meet his eyes, but unlocked the cuffs.

“Gideon?” Rip asked quietly.

She looked at him briefly. “We have to hurry. I bribed the guards, but I don’t know how long that’ll buy us.”

Rip got to his feet, his ungainly form even more so after hours of inaction and imprisonment. Gideon ducked under his arm and guided him to the door.

She helped him to a quiet hallway, grabbing a bag from a closet and handing it to him. “Put this on.”

Rip opened it up, seeing his old duster, and paused.

Gideon hissed, “Quickly!” She walked past him to check the halls, but Rip grabbed her arm and pulled her back, too roughly, because she fell against his chest, and braced herself there.

“Why are you doing this?” Rip asked, his grip tightening.

Gideon laughed mirthlessly, “Isn’t it obvious?”

Rip stared down at her, not understanding as Gideon’s eyes began to well.

“I love you, Rip. I always have.”

He shook his head, wanting, but unable to believe it. “You’re working for Darhk.”

“I did what I had to do to survive,” she said. No apologies or disagreements. “For both of us.”

Footsteps passed by and they both pressed further back into the doorway, Gideon up against him, her gaze not dropping, no hint of a lie.

He let go of her arm, pulled his duster on, and took Gideon’s hand.

And for the first time since his wife died, Rip allowed himself to hope.

* * *

Sara panted, the bike squealing to a stop in the garage. Though there were few Collectors to contend with, she’d had to make her way through a literal battlefield outside. From her ride, she’d been able to discern that it was mostly refugees - the same who’d nearly chased her and Leonard down just the day before, were now fighting together to bring down the casino. In the rabble, she could’ve sworn she saw Ray and Mick, wading their way through the crowd and shouting out orders.

“Way to go, Ray,” Sara murmured. She darted inside the garage, grabbing a gun from the cages along the wall, then followed the reverse of the route she’d taken when Ray and Leonard rescued her the first time.

Leonard.

Her breath caught, but she kept her pace steady. She’d been an idiot. Leonard had been there for her when he didn’t need to be. He’d saved her. He’d helped her. And she led him to his death. If she had a chance, she would have done things so differently, but-

She ran her forearm along her eyes, wiping the tears away. There might be time later to mourn, but it wasn’t now, not if she wanted Darhk to pay for what he did.

It wasn’t until Sara threw open the doors that she realized she’d taken a wrong turn.

Roulette wheels spun and cards were still being played. Music and the addicting tones of slot machines drowned out the noise from outside, but when Sara entered, the sounds of battle came with her and people began to panic.

“Who the hell are you?” a Collector asked, getting to his feet and reaching for his waist.

Sara’s eyes darted around, seeing six guards at the various doors, she raised her gun and fired twice, taking down two of them, before she was forced to duck for cover.

Screams and shouts drowned out the sound of her targets, and Sara crawled along the ground, underneath a craps table and out the other side, as Darhk’s guest ran for the exits. She didn’t care about them, she just wanted Darhk.

She came out the other side, seeing that two of the other guards had decided to run, too, leaving just the last two and the staff. She got one in the shoulder as he leaned out from behind one of the machines, his gun skidding along the carpeted floor as he screamed in pain.

A staff member reached down and grabbed the gun, keeping it away from him, and Sara smiled at her.

And a familiar face looked back at her.

Sara got up and took a step towards her, “Laurel…?”

“Where do you think you’re going?” an angry voice from her left said.

Sara heard the cock of a gun and froze, her hands raising slightly. She heard her heart in her ears - she wasn’t going to die, not here, not yet. She couldn’t-

A whistle from behind her had her turning automatically, as well as the Collector. A blast of blue energy reflected in her eyes and she blinked it away, seeing an unexpected man standing next to the frozen guard.

Sara nearly dropped her gun. “Len! You’re okay!” She threw herself across the short distance, and wrapped her arms around him.

Grasping tightly to his jacket, she felt his free arm come up around her waist, and he exhaled slowly.

“Yeah,” Leonard said, but his voice was tight.

Sara leaned back, looking at him more carefully this time. “Oh my god,” she whispered, tears springing to the back of her eyes.

His face was battered and bruised, his eye swollen and his lips still bleeding. There was a cut on his forehead and blood still dripped from his nose and right ear. He held his side awkwardly, though, indicating a broken rib or two.

“It’s a few cuts and bruises,” he said gently, doing his own brief examination of her injuries.

His thumb ran over the swollen edge of her mouth, and Sara couldn’t help it. She hugged him again, tighter, but not hurting him.

His arm wrapped around her again. “I’m fine,” he assured her.

When she didn’t let go, she could feel the confusion starting in his muscles. Sara pressed her face into the crook of his shoulder and whispered, “I thought you were dead.”

He murmured something she missed, and she made to pull back. Leonard’s arm tightened, holding her close, until he cleared his throat. “We should save that until we’re safe.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you,” Sara said. She’d made the mistake of not telling him the truth before and she thought she’d lost him. She wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.

“You trust me now?” he asked, regaining some of his swagger.

“Completely.” She grinned.

“Good,” Leonard said, turning away. “Follow me. I’m getting us out of here.”

“No,” Sara said.

Leonard paused, then glanced over his shoulder at her, incredulous. “No?”

“I have an idea.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you get mad at me, blame the source material.

They barricaded the doors in the casino, Leonard catching Sara’s thoughts and getting the employees to work. Some of them ran immediately, but others seemed willing, even eager to help.

Sara had pulled another girl off to the side, and they spoke in hushed whispers. Leonard only caught part of the conversation, but saw the tilt of their mouths and the shape of their noses.

This must be the infamous Laurel Lance. At least Rip hadn’t lied about that.

“I’ve been down here since the beginning, but I didn’t know if you were okay,” Laurel was saying, brushing Sara’s hair back over her shoulder. “Is Dad okay?”

“Dad’s fine,” Sara said, her smile not diminished by tears. “He’s in Central City. He’s fine.”

“How did you survive?” Laurel asked.

Sara ducked her head. “I managed. And I had some help.”

Laurel hugged her tightly, “I missed you so much.”

“I love you,” Sara mumbled.

Leonard watched Sara fuss over Laurel, ignoring the cuts on her knuckles and wrists, the swelling of her lip and eye. He thought she was gone - sent Above or worse. But she was here, and she had missed him.

Sara looked up at him, a smile on her lips, and her hands clasped in Laurel’s. Leonard managed a tight smirk in return before turning back to his task. “Dump those glasses out, spread it out along the floor,” he ordered. “And disengage the sprinklers in the ceiling.”

The young woman, Sin, she’d called herself, jumped to it, spreading the alcoholic beverages over a large portion of the room. Her black eye and the flat set to her mouth made it clear this vengeance was justified.

While Sin and two others went through, dumping the alcohol out, he continued in his task, fraying the wires from the slot machine, drawing his hand back quickly as it began to spark. “About ready here, Sara,“ he called.

Sara nodded, getting to her feet and dragging her arm across her face. “Good, okay. Everyone, head to the-”

“Look out!”

Leonard looked to the side, the door they’d blocked shoved open slightly, and a pair of Collectors sticking their arms and their guns inside. And Sara was standing in the middle, giving orders and drawing attention. Their guns aimed at her.

“No!” Leonard shouted, forcing himself up and over, but he was too far away, it wasn’t the right angle, he couldn’t get to her-

Laurel could.

The older Lance sister went down with two bullets in her stomach, and Sara caught her, falling to the ground under the weight of Laurel’s body. Leonard lifted and aimed his gun, the two men and the rest of the gap in the door sealed in ice. But it was too late.

“Sara,” he said, getting to her side.

She was sobbing, only tears for Laurel and Leonard, never for herself. “I’ll go find help,” she cried.

Laurel smiled, the red staining her clothes. “Please, stay. Please?”

Sara pressed on the wounds, but her palms slipped. “Oh, god, I’m sorry, Laurel. I’m...”

“It’s not your fault,” Laurel whispered. “You are amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

“You can’t go.” Sara lowered her head to Laurel’s shoulder.

Leonard’s hand hovered over her back, not wanting to intrude, but wishing he could do something to help her. He’d seen this wound before, though. He knew there was no hope.

“I’m sorry, Sara,” Laurel said weakly. “You’re on your own.”

Laurel’s hand went limp and fell from Sara’s shoulder.

Sara cried out, “No! Laurel!”

“Leonard…?” Sin whispered.

Leonard looked over, seeing the sparks from the electrical cord had continued and sparked along the carpet toward the fuel soaked threads. As he watched, the alarms above began to blare, but the sprinklers didn’t activate, torn out of the ceiling and lying uselessly on the floor.

He wrapped his arms around Sara’s shoulders, ignoring the twinge in his side. “Sara, we’ve got to get out of here,” he said in her ear.

“Please,” she called out, reaching out for Laurel.

It nearly broke him, but he pulled her away from Laurel’s body. “I’m sorry,” he said, pulling her away. They left Laurel behind as flames began to lick along the floor and up the walls.

The casino was coming down.

* * *

Darhk stood at the window, the fire alarms blaring, and watched as the doors beneath him finally fell to the resistance. Waves of his people ran out and toward the Doors, pursued by workers, and guards, but no one was stopping the resistance. His glorious paradise, going up in flames.

“Come on, Darhk,” Merlyn said from behind. “It’s time to evacuate.”

“No.”

Darhk turned and took the codes out of his pocket. Inserting them into the computer, he sat in his chair and waited for them to load.

“What are you doing?” Merlyn asked.

“I will not let my world fall to them. If they want it, they’ll burn with it.”

He began to countdown.

“You can’t be serious,” Merlyn said.

Darhk looked at him. “Get my wife and daughter out. I’ll finish this alone.”

Merlyn hesitated, and for that, Damien was almost grateful. It wasn’t out of any sort of connection. But respect. Darhk appreciated it.

Merlyn nodded at him once, then vanished through the door.

Darhk watched the countdown get lower and lower. He would die only on his terms.

A red blur came out of nowhere, familiar, if still wrong.

“Eobard?” Darhk murmured, trying and failing to follow the blur.

A laugh echoed in the room, and the countdown froze.

Darhk looked at the door, where a young man stood, holding the necklace in his hand.

“No,” Darhk snarled, his hand raising.

The young man winked, and vanished in a blur.

“Gotta run!” the stranger shouted back.

Darhk stared after him, wondering where he had gone wrong.

* * *

Ray coughed painfully; a stray bullet had sliced his side, and though it wasn’t life threatening, it still hurt and slowed him significantly.

“Come on,” Mick rumbled, grabbing his arm and hauling him up straight again. “We’ve gotta go.”

The casino was an inferno. Piles and piles of people had come out, some singed, some helping others. It was a strange mix of working uniforms and important guests, all combining in one, nervous huddle as they escaped the flames.

Ray, Mick, and the other resistance and refugees had finally stopped their assault. The Collectors and guards had given up defending the burning building, so there was no point in continuing.

“What about Sara? Leonard?” Ray winced and pressed his hand to his side.

Mick’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t stop moving. “If they aren’t out by now, they’re already dead.”

They merged with the crowd, keeping an eye on the people around them, just in case one of them wanted to get even.

“Dammit,” Mick muttered.

“What?”

Nodding his head, Mick drew Ray’s attention to another path, several hundred feet away, where only one person was walking. “Darhk.”

Ray strained his eyes, realizing it was Damien Darhk himself, taking a small, narrow path toward the Above.

“He’s going to get away,” Mick said, stopping and pulling them to the side as they watched Darhk fade away.

Ray pulled the gun off of his belt, the one that he hadn’t fired once, and took aim.

“Ray,” Mick started, disbelief in his tone.

“Trust me,” Ray said quietly, as he lined up his shot. “I’m an Eagle Scout.”

Mick steadied him with a hand on his back. Ray exhaled slowly, leading his target, and whispered, “One last shot.”

The gun jumped in his hands as he fired, but more importantly, he saw Damien fall, clutching his leg.

Mick scoffed. “Bull’s eye.”

Ray merely shrugged. “I got all the merit badges. Including Rifle Shooting.”

Grabbing a couple nearby refugees, Mick directed them towards Darhk. “Bring him Above with us. We’re gonna end this.”

* * *

Sara blinked, the harsh sunlight of Above hurting her eyes. She felt raw and scraped open, and could barely summon a smile as the crowds around her began cheering as they saw sunlight.

Leonard led her to a seat, what was left of a building providing her with a chair. He hadn’t said anything to her on the way up; he merely kept a hand on her arm and kept her moving forward, when all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and never move again.

She’d considered, in the dark days of the previous year, that Laurel had died. But there was considering, and there was knowing. Witnessing. She looked down at her hands, still stained with red.

Pulling the sleeve of his jacket down, Leonard knelt in front of her and began rubbing at her hands, wiping away the blood. When they were clean, Leonard just held her hands between his, warming them up.

Sara looked at him, even in her grief knowing that he was still here for her. She managed a small, watery, but honest smile. Leonard’s mouth quirked up.

“Don’t suppose I could get that hug now, huh?” he said quietly.

Sara would have laughed, but a voice spoke from behind Leonard.

“There! She’s there. Get her!”

Leonard rose, standing in front of Sara as he turned, and she stood with him, looking over his shoulder as Damien Darhk approached them, his finger pointed accusingly at her. He limped along, two refugees behind him, looking off balance. From what Sara could see, they’d been supporting him all the way up here.

“Try it,” Leonard threatened, his hand hovering above his gun.

“Don’t just stand there,” Darhk said, glaring at some of his Collectors. “Arrest her!”

“Take a good look at your so called leader,” Sara said, putting her hand on Leonard’s arm to keep him calm as she stepped past him. “Make sure this is really worth fighting for.”

Her eyes darted around the crowd, glittering dresses amid functional coveralls. Darhk’s chosen few among the stolen masses. None of them raised a finger. They turned to stare at Darhk.

“How dare you?” he said, striding forward. “You ruined everything!”

“I’m not the problem,” Sara countered. “You are.”

“Someone arrest her,” Darhk shouted.

No one moved.

“And it looks like everyone is waking up to that.”

Darhk looked around, then spotted someone, raising his voice, “Hunter. Thank goodness you’re alive. Get everyone to fall in line.”

Sara turned, seeing Rip approaching them, Gideon tucked under his arm. Both of them were stained with soot, and Rip glared at Darhk. “Me? Didn’t you sentence me to death?”

“Oh, don’t be so sensitive,” Darhk snapped.

Behind him, Sara saw Ray and Mick approaching, Mick helping the inventor stay upright.

“I was just doing my job,” Darhk was still explaining. “Come on now, and rally the troops.”

“No,” Rip said, raising his chin. “It’s over.”

“The codes?” Sara asked, extending her hand.

Darhk scoffed. “Are you mad? I’d sooner have you cut out my tongue.”

“That can be arranged,” Leonard said coolly.

“Do you have a knife?” Sara asked, handing him one of hers, her eyes never leaving Darhk’s face.

“Thank you,” Leonard said.

He crossed over to Darhk, but Rip stopped him and said, “Make sure it’s a clean cut. Wouldn’t want him dying of infection before he tells us.”

Leonard merely smiled, then approached Darhk, who went pale and raised his hands, but the red power in them merely sputtered and died, then a red blur appeared between him and Leonard.

Barry Allen stilled, holding the necklace in his hands. “Don’t worry! I’ve got it. And-”

As they watched, he crushed it beneath his boot, and the pieces began to scatter in the wind.

Sara’s shoulders slumped forward as the crowd began to cheer. It was over. She tried to muster up a smile, but it fell flat.

It was over.

* * *

Buses rolled into Star City later that day from around the country. Apparently, they’d regained the wireless towers in Central City, and had finally begun putting a semblance of society back together.

For those who wanted it, the buses would bring them back to Central City, where they’d be given a place to live, a job, and the ability to contact family they had been missing. Sin, the young woman who had attached herself to Sara after Laurel’s death, was eager to jump at the thought, as were most of the refugees and workers, even most of Darhk’s chosen ones were going, too.

Darhk and Merlyn had been arrested and were already on their way back, while Rip and Gideon were to remain in Star City, helping officials clean up what was left of Tevat Noah.

It had been a bit of a whirlwind, as Sara gathered the few things that mattered to her and packed up. Finally, the buses were loading, and she caught sight of Ray among the crowd.

“Ray!” she called, leaving her bag with Sin as the line continued to file onto the bus.

“Sara! Oh, I’m glad I caught you.” He pulled her into a hug.

Sara laughed, “You really showed ‘em, Ray.”

“Eventually. Thanks to you.” He smiled, but it faded. “I’ll miss you.”

“You’re not coming?” Sara asked, her heat sinking.

Ray shrugged. “I need to finish what we started here. And I’m of more use here than anywhere else.”

Sara saw the intelligence of that, but it didn’t help the pit in her stomach. “I’ll miss you, Ray.”

He hugged her again, then stepped back as someone cleared their throat.

Sara turned, a smile on her face, but saw only Rip standing there. She replaced the smile somewhat, getting a faint one in return.

“I tried to come and say goodbye,” she said, as Ray nodded and left them alone, “but I guess you have a lot on your plate, being Time Master, and all.”

Rip smiled sheepishly, then turned grave. “I owe you everything, Sara. Everything. I’m sorry.”

Sara shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. We both changed.” Catching sight of Gideon behind him, Sara smiled, and nodded toward her. “We both want something different.”

Rip turned, seeing Gideon and held out his hand to her. The brunette took it, and fit against Rip’s side easily, even sparing a smile for Sara.

“I wish you the best of luck,” Rip said.

Not a lie.

Sara returned the comment and the two of them left, leaving Sara alone in the street. Sin was nearing the front of the line, but Sara didn’t see-

A flash of silver hair and a black jacket near the back of the crowd caught her eye. “Leonard!”

He paused, then turned back around, an uncharacteristic look of surprise on his face. “Sara.” He pushed through the crowd, coming toward her. Sara noticed he didn’t have a bag, or backpack. Nothing.

“I was…” he trailed off, then cleared his throat. “I thought I might have missed you.”

“Yeah, well, you cut it a little close,” Sara said, trying to make light of it. She made to reach out to his hand, but paused when he didn’t move.

“Guess I was trying not to think about it,” he said, his hands going into his pockets.

“So...you’re staying?”

Leonard nodded once, jerking his head to the side. “Mick and I are going to hang around. Give Ray a hand. Keep Rip in line.”

Sara nodded listlessly. “Right.”

It was awkward and quiet between them, until Leonard spoke up. “I wanted to say...goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” she echoed quietly.

“If you, you know, ever think about coming back-”

“You want me to stay?” Sara asked. Even as she asked the question, she knew that it’s what she wanted. She wanted him to want her - to stay, to help, to be with him -

But he shook his head, “No. No, I think you should go.”

Sara swallowed past the sudden hard lump in her throat, her eyes starting to burn a little. “Yeah. Right. Had enough of paradise for a lifetime.”

Leonard’s laugh was bitter. “Yeah. I’m sure you have, right? Still, we had...some good times. Obviously, among all the bad ones.”

Sara smiled, looking up at him and remembering everything he’d done. Their almost moment behind Ray’s house. “Yeah,” she said softly. “We did.”

Leonard went quiet, standing still in front of her, but made no move to repeat their moment. So Sara lowered her eyes, hiding the flash of hurt. “Oh, um…” she shucked his borrowed jacket off her shoulders, folding it.

Leonard shook his head, “You don’t have to-” She handed it over, and he hung it over his arm. “Thank you.”

They stood there again, uncomfortably quiet.

“So,” Leonard cleared his throat, “we should…” His arm opened briefly, awkwardly.

Sara’s smile felt off, just like his gesture. “Okay.”

She stepped into his hug, holding as tightly as she dared and kept her eyes closed. His arms wrapped around her for a breath, then he pulled back quickly.

Sara almost stumbled, off balance and uncertain, but she was going to try, damn it. “You know, you could always come visit Central City. You might like it.”

“Yeah,” he said, another weak chuckle escaping. “We could...do pizza.”

Another sad smile in place, she met his gaze for the last time. “And lots of other things.”

A whole future, maybe.

Leonard frowned, his mouth opening as he took a step forward.

“Sara!”

She turned, seeing Sin was at the entrance to the bus, their things at her feet. It was starting up, ready to go. Looking back, Leonard just stared at her, his mouth closing.

He wasn’t going to ask her to stay, so she wouldn’t.

Sara waved, unable to say anything else through the pain in her chest, then walked towards the bus.

Though it nearly broke her again, she didn’t look back.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! :)

Leonard put the paper aside and rubbed his eyes clean of spots. Three days in and he was still amazed at how little Darhk had trusted anyone with anything. He’d been able to break the code Darhk used, only because he’d been on the other side of some of these pages - deliveries Leonard had provided him with, which he knew the details of.

His drug ring had become the Rosetta Stone of Darhk’s empire.

Still, it had taken several days to get enough appropriate information from Darhk’s files, and then longer to translate it enough that others could do so without his help.

“All done, boss?” Mick asked.

Leonard nodded. “Yeah. Here. Get that to Palmer.”

Mick took it, but didn’t leave the temporary offices that Central City had provided them with as they tore apart Tevat Noah and Darhk’s buildings. Leonard sighed, sitting back as Mick took a deep breath that usually preceded information Leonard didn’t want to hear.

“You’re an idiot.”

So, par for the course. Leonard stared at him, his only movement being an arched brow.

“She wanted you to go with her.”

Leonard pushed away from the desk and got to his feet. “She didn’t ask.”

“Neither did you,” Mick muttered.

“What was I supposed to say?” Leonard said, turning on his friend. “I’ve only known you for three days, but please, turn your back on your friends and family and stay in this hellhole with me?”

“Would’ve been a better than nothing,” he countered.

Leonard scoffed, going to the small window in the office and staring outside, his jaw aching from how tightly he was clenching it.

The wall creaked as Mick leaned against it. “So, tell me, what’s the point of staying here?”

Gesturing to the papers, Leonard said, “I need to decode-”

“You have.”

“My knowledge of Darhk’s operation-”

“Isn’t any greater than mine.”

Leonard glared, “I’m-”

“Scared she’s gonna say no.”

“Will you stop it?” Leonard snapped.

Mick crossed his arm, intentionally blocking the door, and making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere.

Leonard’s glare faded and he shook his head, tired and frustrated. “What do you want me to say? You’re right?”

“I already know I’m right,” Mick said, not at all surprised by Leonard’s response. “So what are you going to do about it? Wallow here, annoying everybody, or go tell her that you were a moron and that you love her?”

“I don’t-”

“Don’t even try it. Even Palmer saw that you loved her, and he’s oblivious.”

Leonard cut his eyes at Mick. “I was going to say, I don’t wallow.”

Mick chuckled, and the tension left the room. “She’s good for you. Makes you a little less...annoying.”

“Thanks,” Leonard drawled.

“Seriously. You deserve someone good.” Mick straightened, waving the papers. “I’ll get these to Palmer. You pack a bag.”

“They said the next bus wasn’t until the end of the month.”

Mick grinned. “You ain’t taking the bus.”

Leonard frowned, then paled as another grinning figure stepped into the doorway, waving.

“Hey, Snart.”

“...Hey, Allen.”

* * *

Closing the file cabinet, Sara looked up as there was a knock on her door. She smiled, recognizing the lean, rugged man in the door.

“Hi, Dad.”

Quentin Lance had been one of the first to welcome the survivors off the bus, and squeezed Sara so tightly she thought she’d pass out. He’d been safe in Central City the whole time, which meant it had been over a year since she’d seen him.

They didn’t spend much time apart in the past three weeks since her arrival, making up for what they’d lost. They were both still mourning Laurel, but at least they were doing it together.

“You all set?” Quentin asked.

“Yeah. Just finishing up.” She locked the cabinet, and grabbed the papers off her desk. “I found three more today. So I’m officially halfway through the list.”

Quentin smiled down at her, the grief fading slightly from his eyes. “That’s my girl.”

Though she’d been offered an official position with what was left of the CCPD - now a mishmosh of civilians and officers, focusing on on-the-job learning - Sara had declined and worked adjacent to them in a sort of Missing Persons department. She was tasked with reuniting families.

Most days it was satisfying work, but there were still the occasional bad days. Today had been a good one.

Quentin met her everyday to walk her home, usually picking up dinner and sharing it with Sin, who lived with Sara in their little apartment. Sin was annoyed that she couldn’t work with Sara yet, but everyone under 18 had been sent back to school. The only good thing is that school came with a lot more technical training than hypothetical now. She kept saying she’d join the police force when she was old enough, and Sara didn’t doubt it. It was just a matter of keeping her occupied before she got herself into trouble.

“Busy day?” Sara asked Quentin, after they’d picked up pizza from the corner - never doubt the resiliency and recovery speed of small restaurant owners.

“It was fine,” Quentin said. “More about reconstruction than arrests right now, which is good. People are too busy to loot most days.”

“The city’s really coming along,” Sara said, looking around.

Though Central City hadn’t been hit directly, communications and imports had stopped for a long time. It was only just now beginning to pick up, and surrounding towns that had been hit had to be staffed and worked on before recovery was complete. Central City had become a sort of hub, sending assistance, food, and skilled workers to help those outside the city who needed it.

“That it is,” he said. “How are you doing?”

Sara shrugged. “I’m fine. Keeping busy.”

That was only a half-lie. She was very busy during the day, and stayed busy during the early evening. But at night, she found herself struggling to fall asleep. She didn’t go out, didn’t have many hobbies other than her job. That and the...visits.

News of her role in the end of Tevat Noah had spread, and Sara was thanked and cursed from various parties. She’d had to put a few of Darhk’s former chosen ones in their places - then news of  _ that  _ had spread and -

Let’s just say, Sin had gotten very adept at spotting the good from the bad.

They got back to Sara’s apartment, sharing dinner and listening to Sin expound on all the reasons she shouldn’t have to finish school, which Sara rebutted and Quentin just laughed at, mentioning something about her just desserts. Afterwards, Sara said goodbye to her father, who lived a few blocks up in his own place. She hugged him tightly - all the regrets she’d had about coming here fading away when she heard his safe and solid heartbeat against her ear.

“Love you, Dad.”

“Love you, too.” He squeezed her a little tighter, then left.

Sara sighed, shutting the door behind her. The girls each went into their own rooms, the few radio stations that were able to keep broadcasting still coming through and giving Sara a reprieve from the quiet.

There was a knock on her door, and Sara called, “Yeah?”

“Hey, you’ve got another visitor.”

Sara heaved a sigh. It wasn’t that she was ungrateful or didn’t care...it just hurt being constantly reminded of the people she could no longer see. Those she didn’t rescue...those that stayed behind. She appreciated it, but it still hurt.

“Okay,” she said, turning her radio off.

Sara, eyes lowered, stepped out into the living room, ready to plaster a smile on her face for the sake of their feelings.

She looked up and her heart jumped. “Leonard!”

He stood in her tiny living room, turning to face her, his hands in his pockets and that dark jacket on his shoulders. He looked exactly as he had the first time they met, the grey and black hair, the piercing eyes, the annoying smirk-

With a faint smile, Leonard removed his hands from his pockets and took a step towards her.

Before she could think about it, before she had time to doubt herself, Sara ran across the room and threw her arms around Leonard, hugging him as tightly as she wanted to the day they’d said goodbye.

As the doubts began to rear up, he smothered them by wrapping his arms around her tightly, spinning her slightly with her momentum. “Finally,” he murmured in her ear, and with the sound of his voice, Sara realized she hadn’t just  _ missed  _ Leonard.

She loved him.

That’s what had been missing these past few days. His snark and sarcasm, his ability to challenge her and support her. His support and his questioning and his loyalty.

She loved him.

He put her down after a moment, and vaguely, Sara noticed that Sin had vacated the room quietly, leaving them alone.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” Sara said, her arms still around his shoulders and his hands still at her waist. Leonard was looking down at her, his eyes searching for something.

She was ready to tell him everything - she missed him, she didn’t want him to go again, that she wished she’d stayed - she was ready to admit to everything she wished she’d said before. Sara leaned in slightly, not wanting him to leave before-

Leonard took a breath, like he was about to speak, so Sara held her tongue.

Instead, he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers suddenly she lost her breath. He didn’t pull her closer, but his hands flexed against her sides slightly, as if he thought about it and reconsidered.

Sara leaned in, wrapping her fingers in his collar and holding him close. Three days wasn’t much to build anything off of, but three days of terror and trial, seeing the worst and best in one another...that was something real. They broke apart after a moment, but Sara only pulled far enough away to breathe, her forehead against his, refusing to let him go again.

Against her lips, Leonard murmured, “I missed you.”

Sara laughed, and kissed him over and over, promising to never give him a reason to miss her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice, sweet fairy-tale ending.
> 
> Check out the mini-series and let me know what you think!
> 
> Thanks for reading, as always. You guys make this fun.
> 
> I've got two projects in the work now for new stories, despite my acceptance Leonard's never coming back in the show. I will continue to write and love Captain Canary, so if you keep reading, I'll be here with you.
> 
> Me and you.  
> <3


End file.
